Saudi’s Garage raises $260,000 to offer on-demand car maintenance services at your doorstep

Khobar-based yet-to-launch on-demand car maintenance services startup Garage has raised $260,000 in an investment round from angel investors, it announced in a statement to MENAbytes today.

Founded earlier this year by Osama AlSalloum, Garage aims to digitalize car maintenance services, enabling customers to book these services through its mobile app and receive them at their doorstep. The startup aims to launch first in Khobar, Dammam, and Dahran within the next two months and then expand to the rest of the Eastern Province, Riyadh, and Jeddah before the end of 2021, its founder and CEO Osama told MENAbytes.

The services will include minor maintenance works that don’t require any heavy equipment, tire repair or changing, battery replacement, and car wash. When a user will book a service, Garage’s team would assess if it only requires a technician or would need a part as well. In case, it only requires a technician, the app would assign someone who’s immediately available for a visit to the customer’s home. If a technician is not immediately available, Garage will share same-day or next-day options with the customer to choose from.

When the customer request also requires purchase of a spare part, Garage will confirm the availability and price of the part before it proceeds with the order.

The startup will have a combination of in-house technicians, freelancers, and companies that provide maintenance services.

Osama AlSalloum, the founder and CEO of Garage in a statement said that there are over 12 million vehicles in Saudi with the number continuously growing, “In spite of that, not much has changed when it comes to vehicle maintenance services. As an owner of a vehicle, I still have to deal with maintenance service centers the way people had to 25 years ago. With Garage, we aim to change that. With our team, partners, and investors, we aim to digitalize this important sector and provide a reliable, professional service with experienced technicians for all vehicle owners in the Kingdom.”

Yasser Al-Ghamdi, an angel investor who participated in the investment round said that the automotive service sector in Saudi is one of those areas where there is a still big gap in terms of digital offerings, “As investors, we are counting on Garage and will be helping them to fill a big gap in this area.”

Garage plans to use the investment to further build its product, and launch and expand its services across the country.