Rahal, a mobile application connecting a driver to a rider like Uber and Careem, will launch in Libya by the end of 2018 to support Libya’s public transportation, Bank of Commerce and Development (BCD) announced Wednesday.
In October, the application was founded by Wasel transportation service company to support the Libyan transportation sector. As a start, 100 cabs will be available in only Tripoli and Benghazi.
The payment will be through an e-wallet created by the company or by means of e-commerce payment operated by the bank.
The bank is also planning to establish a new airport in Benghazi to compete with the existing Benina International Airport, located about 19 kilometers east of Benghazi.
Chairperson of the BCD Gamal Abdel Malik told 218tv in November that the planned airport comes in line with the bank’s efforts to support the country’s infrastructure.
The bank has injected 200 million dinars into the Barneq Company for air transport, he continued.
The announcement of the application comes on the sidelines of the general assembly of Maghreb banks.
Applications like Uber and Careem could not launch in Libya due to continuous security threats posed by the war and terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda that might attack drivers and riders or pose as ones.
Hence, Rahal urged Libya’s security forces in Tripoli and Benghazi to tighten up security in this region to ultimately reach stability.
