Saudi Arabia Railways, Uber launch second phase of transportation service

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia Railways and the US ride-hailing platform Uber on Sunday launched the second phase of their partnership to facilitate transportation from SAR stations to clients’ final destinations. 

The electronic interconnection journey service allows SAR clients to easily book a travel ticket through the apps 90 days ahead of travel, enabling a smooth and faster arrival.

“This partnership is the first electronic connection of its kind between a passenger train service and car ride application,” said Khaled Al-Harbi, senior vice president of passenger transport at SAR.

He added: “Part of the work carried out in this partnership includes transportation strategy, logistics services, and the railway strategy to achieve integration of various means of transportation and reach highest standards of customer service and excellence.”

The electronic interconnection journey service will cover several stations in different cities in the kingdom, including Riyadh, Al-Majmaah, Qassim, Hofuf, Abqaiq, Dammam, Hail, Jouf and Qurayyat.

SAR’s partnership with Uber is expected to boost the level of transportation for SAR passengers, which comes in line with SAR’s development plans.

“Today we are integrating Uber’s Reserve products into SAR’s rail platforms, this is a global first for us,” said Frans Hiemstra, director and regional general manager for Middle East and Africa at Uber.

“This integration is better for commuters, people commuting going away on the weekend, exploring the Kingdom, traveling or day-to-day basics,” he said.

The first phase of the partnership between Uber and SAR launched in December 2021, and provided more streamlined pick-up and drop-off for commuters and tourists at SAR stations.

“Today we moved to the second phase, which is the electronic interconnection journey, and the goal is to move to a different model in the next stage, which is an integration service for different means of transportation,” said Al-Harbi.