Saudi ride-hailing trips surge 78% in Q3, topping 39m

Bolt, Jeeny, EGO, Uber, Careem ride share vehicle pickup area in King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, ºÚÁÏÉçÇø. Getty
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RIYADH: ºÚÁÏÉçÇøâ€™s ride-hailing sector witnessed a major surge during the third quarter of 2025, reaching 39.04 million trips thanks to a 78 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Transport General Authority. 

The TGA revealed that ride-hailing trips were heavily concentrated in the Kingdom’s major urban centers, with the Riyadh region responsible for 43.9 percent of all trips.

It was followed by the Makkah region at 22.13 percent and the Eastern Province at 14.5 percent, according to a report from the Saudi Press Agency.

This comes as a significant demonstration of the rapid modernization of the Kingdom’s transit networks, complementing an expansion in rail travel, which recorded a 335 percent year-on-year surge in passengers, also reaching 39 million in the same quarter. 

The overall expansion across both road and rail transport aligns with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to raise the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product to 10 percent by 2030, up from the current 6 percent.

The remaining regional shares were distributed across the Kingdom. Madinah region accounted for 5.76 percent, followed by Aseer region at 3.55 percent and Qassim region at 3 percent. 

Tabuk region held a 2.49 percent share, while Hail and Jazan registered 1.85 and 1.13 percent, respectively. 

Najran saw a 0.58 percent share, with Al-Jouf registering 0.55 percent. The Northern Borders and Al-Baha posted a 0.28 percent and a 0.23 percent share, respectively.

This widespread usage underscores the integration of digital mobility solutions across the nation. It also comes as the market becomes increasingly competitive with the recent entry of new services such as inDrive which launched in Riyadh in September, following its successful debut in Jeddah.