The announcement comes a day after the launch of UberX.

Local ride-hailing app Careem has hit back at Uber by launching its own budget service in Dubai, Careem GO.

Yesterday it was announced that UberX, the company’s lowest-cost service, would be rolled out in Dubai over a trial period of three months.

Today, arch-rival Careem has sent out an email to some customers saying for the next three months, it would be offering the “most afforable Careem ride yet”.

The new Careem GO service will use Toyota Previa cars, and will cost “way less” than the current economy service, according to the email.

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“The trial of this new car type is just another step in our journey to move the region towards better living,” the email said, echoing Uber’s announcement.

When quizzed on Twitter about whether the new service had been planned or whether it was introduced in response to Uber’s move, Careem said: “We love ourselves some good planning before we send something out to you lovely people [winky face emoji]”.

While the fare structure for the Careem GO is yet to be released, it is expected to match that of UberX, which has a base fare of Dhs5.

Wondering why you can’t see a Careem GO option on your app?

On Twitter, the company explained that the service is only available to a select number of customers at the moment, but more people will be invited as the three-month trial goes on.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more…

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