As the super-rich continue to flock to Dubai, a luxury ride-hailing service targeting millionaires has emerged with an opening price of nearly $30.
Wheely, a Swiss car-hailing company with operations in Paris, Moscow, and London, has launched a ride-hailing service for millionaires in Dubai. It offers two exclusive services, a new business class and first class, using high-end Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 5 Series G60 models.
For example, the new first class uses a Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223, equipped with an Acqua di Parma scent diffuser, Oshibori towels and complimentary bottles of Fiji water. The ride is highly personalised and passengers can customise their choice of music, interior lighting, massage seats and entertainment systems.
The opening price is 100 UAE dirhams ($27.2), the minimum price is 150 dirhams ($40.8) and 5 dirhams ($1.36) per minute of waiting. Parking and tolls are added. There are about 700,000 millionaires in Dubai, a potential market for Wheely.
Wheely's ride-hailing service for the rich in Dubai. Photo: Wheely
“Over the past few years, many European super-rich people have moved to Dubai and many Middle Eastern residents have experienced our services in London and Paris. Dubai has become the most requested destination for our clients,” said co-founder and CEO Anton Chirkunov.
Achieving service consistency is not easy, according to Chirkunov, due to the limited supply of S-Class vehicles. "When we arrived in Dubai, there were almost no such vehicles in the city. So we had to work with local suppliers to find a large number of these vehicles. Probably more than 90% of the new generation Mercedes S-Class vehicles licensed in Dubai are exclusively for Wheely," he explained.
Chauffeuring the super-rich comes with a demand for discretion and privacy. The entire company and its partners must adhere to strict confidentiality regulations. In addition to privacy curtains in the cars, the company is developing technology to keep members from accessing customer data.
The company plans to create more than 500 jobs in Dubai in 18-24 months, and expand to 1,000 employees in the next 3-5 years in the Middle East. This requires them to prepare a supply of luxury cars and train professional drivers.
Chirkunov said drivers must complete a rigorous training process that includes safety, courtesy and caution. In London, the company has a high-end driver training academy that delivers the five-star service customers expect.
The Dubai ride-hailing market is dominated by ride-hailing startup Careem, which Uber acquired for $3.1 billion. By the end of 2023, Uber had sold a majority stake in Careem to e& (based in Abu Dhabi, UAE) for $400 million to raise cash.
Wheely, however, is designed specifically for a more upscale clientele. Chirkunov compares the platform to a luxury product, similar to American Express' Centurion and Platinum credit cards.
Founded by a Swiss-Russian entrepreneur and headquartered in London, Wheely is a ride-hailing startup similar to Uber, but aimed at the wealthy. The app’s average fare is around £46 ($57.72) for a 30-minute journey from Mayfair to London.
Wheely’s push into Dubai comes after a rocky few years due to Covid. “The pandemic was very difficult because unlike Amazon, where orders skyrocketed, we saw a 99% drop in customer volume,” Chirkunov said.
After the pandemic, demand from high-end customers recovered. The platform recently achieved operating profits in all markets except Paris and Dubai. After expanding in the Middle East, Wheely is targeting Uber's home country. Chirkunov said he is still considering launching in the US at some point. "The reason we haven't launched yet is because we are completely focused on Dubai. But eventually, New York will replace London as the top market," Chirkunov said.
Phien An ( according to Arabian Business, CNBC )
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