Launched in November 2020, the company is making waves in five countries and 13 cities in the Greater Middle East

FENIX is the Greater Middle East’s leading electric mobility operator that aims to unlock urban potential and propel communities forward.

Although the UAE-based startup was launched in November 2020, it is making waves in five countries and 13 cities in the Greater Middle East.

Jaideep Dhanoa and IQ Sayed, former co-founders of Circ and colleagues at Careem, are the masterminds behind FENIX. It completed the largest pre-launch funding round in the history of the UAE’s tech ecosystem, raising $5.1 million (Dh18.73).

Soon it entered the market with the largest fleet of electric vehicles in the region.

What is MyFENIX?

FENIX Pay 2

FENIX is the first operator in the region to launch a private electric scooter subscription service called MyFENIX. It is a rent-to-own business model in which users can operate their own e-scooters through weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly plans that include free maintenance, 24/7 customer service 7, plus insurance and free home delivery.

FENIX has now expanded its offerings with on-demand shared e-bikes to make micro-mobility more inclusive across consumer segments and price ranges.

Hundreds of thousands of cyclists have adopted MyFENIX. The company has launched the world’s first electric scooters with built-in hand sanitizer packs to keep riders safe in the face of the Covid challenge. It also launched a 10-minute fast delivery service for groceries and basic necessities.

What is FENIX Pay?

FENIX Pay is an inclusive payment service for the region that offers various payment options to passengers via credit cards, debit cards, mobile/telco credit, Apple Pay and local e-wallets.

Additionally, the start-up also waived UNLOCK fees on all FENIX rides in the region on its one-year anniversary in November last year.

Sayed, who is also the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of FENIX, told The Khaleej Times how they came across the concept of FENIX. “During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, we saw rapid growth in the micro-mobility segment globally. Millions of cyclists adopted micro-mobility to travel and explore their cities by completely safe.

Previously, we had experience in the mobility industry in the Middle East and felt strongly that there was an urgent gap that FENIX could fill.

Micro-mobility has an important role to play in transforming the way cities move and driving impactful commerce by making mobility easier, cheaper and simply reimagined. Global society is in constant motion and there has been a fundamental shift towards building cities for people. It does not require more cars and roads, but more innovation and free navigation.

“By connecting journeys in affordable and convenient ways, we are creating a more productive and inclusive economy while maintaining a low environmental footprint. And we built it as a platform, so we could expand our impact beyond mobility, Sayed said.

“At FENIX, we champion progress and participate in building a more inclusive, efficient and enjoyable society, enabling cities and communities to unlock their potential,” he said.

Where is FENIX Pay operational?

FENIX Pay offers its users in the five countries of operation – the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey – a range of payment choices, including prepaid mobile credit, local digital wallets , Apple Pay, credit cards and debit cards.

“By integrating financial inclusion into our services, the startup can increase access to affordable mobility and convenient deliveries for users in the region. It is the only vertically integrated electric mobility and delivery platform focused on the Greater Middle East region,” Sayed said.

“Furthermore, through its partnership with Apaya, FENIX will continue to integrate additional alternative payment channels with local providers for its users.”

With FENIX Pay, anyone with a smartphone in Turkey and the UAE can pay for their services. All they need is live integration with the two major national telecom providers in the UAE – Etisalat and Du – and the three major telecom providers in Turkey – Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom. It will also launch with Mobily in Arabia and with Batelco in Bahrain later this quarter.

Consumers can top up their FENIX Pay balance with cash vouchers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Turkey. Users can simply approach a FENIX associate in an operating area, or upon receipt of a delivery and purchase a voucher with cash, card on delivery or local digital wallet transfer including STC Pay in Saudi Arabia and Benefit Pay in Bahrain. “We also plan to add support for local transit cards,” Sayed said.

There is an offering to serve underbanked customers as well. Data shows that around a third of retail transactions are conducted electronically, due to factors including underdeveloped digital payment infrastructure and services, underbanked consumer and merchant segments, and bias cultural towards species.

However, this percentage is expected to increase over the next few years. FENIX Pay increases the payment options available to its users and improves the overall consumer experience. Many people might want to use e-mobility and delivery services, but have not been able to because they don’t have a credit card. Mobile payments in the region are failing in these segments.

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FENIX Pay seeks to remove this barrier and give everyone the financial freedom to pay according to their preferences.

“Sustainability is a core value of our operations. FENIX uses pioneering sustainable solutions in its operations by implementing the use of cargo e-mopeds to perform battery replacement on e-scooters. To date, our FENIX electric scooter rides have eliminated 75 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would have been generated by the vehicles,” Sayed said. “Right now all the energy is going into moving a 1,000 kilogram vehicle rather than moving the person themselves. When we see this in a broader perspective, it means thousands of cars and more energy consumption. »

With FENIX’s sustainable vision to drive impactful commerce and propel communities forward, we reduce negative environmental impact in terms of space, energy and pollution. Thanks to F10, the first delivery service in the Middle East region to offer fast and fresh grocery deliveries in 10 minutes with no minimum order and free delivery, and our on-demand shared electric bikes; we have extended the role of sustainable mobility readily available to users.

“MyFENIX, the region’s first e-scooter subscription service, allows riders to pay a fixed weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual fee; and receive a personal e-scooter to use with free insurance and maintenance. MyFENIX improves the purchasing power of cyclists and has been widely welcomed by users in our operating markets with over thousands of registered subscriptions since its launch,” he added.

Changing mobility landscape

The mobility landscape is constantly changing, with commuters looking for easier and cheaper means of transport. In the Middle East, micromobility is growing rapidly with various government entities investing in sustainable mobility solutions to improve transportation networks. Initiatives such as the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040, Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 have mobility as important pillars, with the goals of providing sustainable and flexible means of mobility. These are encouraging signs. Electric mobility and micromobility are here to stay, and the potential market size is enormous.