News

Yango Ride Introduces In-Chat Trip Planning In ChatGPT

Users in the UAE and 25 more countries can check fares, routes and ETAs inside the popular chat platform as transport apps test AI-led customer access.

Published

6 months ago

April 20, 2026

Nour Nasir

Yango

Yango Ride has launched an app inside ChatGPT, letting users in the UAE and more than 25 other markets plan trips and move toward booking without ever leaving the chat window.

The rollout spans Yango markets across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Latin America. It’s an early signal that ride-hailing groups see AI assistants as a new front door for everyday services.

Users can check the exact fare for a route, compare journey times, view the trip ETA and see how long a driver would take to arrive. The tool also suggests pickup points aimed at cutting wait times. When ready to book, users are redirected to the Yango app or web version to complete the ride.

The feature is available through ChatGPT on web, Android and iOS. Yango said it uses live traffic data and routing systems that refresh estimates as road conditions change.

The timing matters in the UAE, where public and private sectors have tied growth plans to AI under the National AI Strategy 2031. App-based mobility is also growing. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority says shared services, including on-demand ride-hailing, rose from 7.5% to 9% of total transport usage between 2024 and 2025.

That leaves room for a simpler model: users ask an AI assistant for transport while planning the rest of the day in the same conversation. For tourists and business travelers, fewer app switches may be the real selling point.

Also Read: Basatne Debuts ORBT Platform For Digital Refunds In UAE

In a recent press release, Yango said it plans to expand its ChatGPT presence beyond ride-hailing into delivery, public transport and food ordering.

The recent moves by Yango are part of a wider shift, as platforms seek placement inside generative AI products before those interfaces become a default layer for search, booking and payments.

Yango Ride is available in the ChatGPT app store by following this link.

News

NEOPAY Wants To Follow Merchants Across Channels And Borders

A controlling 65% stake in noon payments would give NEOPAY access to marketplace sellers, online merchants and the payment flows they generate.

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

Nour Nasir

neopay wants to follow merchants across channels and borders

It’s been a long time since checkouts were single defined places. A merchant might take payments at a physical register, on its own website and through an online marketplace, sometimes in more than one country. NEOPAY wants to follow those transactions wherever they happen.

The UAE payments company has entered into an agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. NEOPAY already runs the acquiring infrastructure that lets merchants accept card payments, along with omnichannel acceptance and a merchant services platform. This new deal would add noon payments’ embedded payments platform, e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That would considerably expand both NEOPAY’s digital commerce capabilities and its regional reach.

For merchants, the attraction is a single provider for online and in-store payments, plus faster settlements, data and analytics, and value-added financial services.

“Payments should be simple, reliable, and built for the markets they serve,” said Faraz Khalid, CEO of noon. His counterpart at NEOPAY, Vibhor Mundhada, added: “We have built a strong payments business in the UAE, and our ambition is now to take that capability across the region”. The acquisition, Mundhada added, would “expand our footprint into Saudi Arabia and Egypt” while reinforcing NEOPAY’s position at home.

Also Read: In Kuwait, Your Surgeon Might Be Operating From Another Country

NEOPAY is also keen to point out potential payment volume increases. The company says noon payments’ integrations with marketplace sellers and online merchants create high transaction density in some of the region’s fastest-growing digital commerce segments. It also believes control of the business would give it access to those merchant relationships and payment flows, and speed up the rollout of alternative payment methods and installment options.

The combined roadmap targets faster merchant onboarding, better payment performance, tighter fraud controls and embedded financial services. The deal could also strengthen cross-border payments and settlement along key regional commerce corridors.