Luxury ride-hailing app pivots to Middle East as lockdowns bite

Luxury ride-hailing app pivots to Middle East as lockdowns bite

A luxury ride-hailing app operating in Moscow, London and Paris is expanding into the Middle East as a "hedge“ against lengthy lockdowns that have shattered the services industry in Europe.

Wheely will apply for an e-hailing license in Dubai in the coming weeks and open an office there as a hub for the Middle East, said founder and Chief Executive Officer Anton Chirkunov. Dubai is a top destination requested by Wheely customers, especially those traveling from Moscow, he said.

"We are now looking at these geographies as a hedge against restrictions,“ Chirkunov said in a video interview from London, where Wheely moved its headquarters from Moscow just under two years ago. "We had southern France as the next step in our plan, but we don't understand what's going to happen in France in terms of restrictions, so we are looking at the Middle East instead as the next step.“

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Wheely started serving wealthy Russians in Moscow in 2012 with its luxury Mercedes-Benz cars driven by chauffeurs wearing a suit and tie. The company says it now attracts a broader clientele beyond Russia's borders.

Dubai, which relies on international