Need some wheels in Sharjah but not in a position to buy a car? No problem – pay-per-minute car rental service Udrive has just launched in the emirate.

In case you haven’t heard of Udrive, it’s essentially a short-term car rental service. You download the app, upload copies of your documents, pay the small subscription fee, and you have access to dozens of Udrive cars that are dotted around the city.

You see, the app will detect your location, and tell you where cars are available. Chances are, there’ll be a Udrive car pretty close to you. And when you get to it, you simply unlock the car with your smartphone, and drive off to wherever you need to go. You’re then charged for the minutes for which you’re behind the wheel.

The concept has caught on pretty quick in Dubai, where Udrive first launched. And now it’s available in Sharjah. To start off with, Udrive has launched a fleet of 100 cars for rent around the city.

We will make sure that the cars are available at hotspot locations across the emirate. Moreover, all new customers that register for Udrive will enjoy a complimentary one-hour free drive to experience the service. With no security deposits, minimum rental time or expensive border crossing fees, Udrive provides users with a new way to travel,” explained Hasib Khan, CEO and founder of Udrive.

The cars themselves are nothing special – the Sharjah fleet will be initially made up of Nissan Sunnys and Kia Picantos. Still, they’re cars, and they’re available pretty cheaply – you don’t need to pay for parking or fuel.

In terms of the cost, you’re looking at 50 fils per minute, which is capped after four hours. After that, you get the remainder of the 24-hour day (so 20 hours), for free – so long as you stick to the 150 km mileage limit.