Moving Afghanistan Forward, One Ride at a Time
Our Story
Raftar was founded in early 2025 with a simple but powerful idea: to modernize the way people move around Afghan cities — without losing touch with how things have traditionally worked.
As Afghanistan’s cities grow — especially Kabul, now home to millions — the way people move has remained stuck in the past. For decades, passengers have had to stand on the side of the road, wave at taxis, explain their destination repeatedly, and negotiate prices with driver after driver — all just to find one suitable ride.
While technology has transformed transportation around the world, in Afghanistan, most people still only use the internet for social media or browsing. We saw an opportunity to bring technology closer to the everyday needs of Afghan life — to improve something as basic, and essential, as how people get from place to place.
That’s where the idea for Raftar was born.
Instead of forcing a new system on people, we built Raftar to respect the way Afghans already interact — especially the practice of price negotiation — but to make it faster, easier, and fairer for both drivers and passengers. With Raftar, there’s no more standing under the sun negotiating with 5 different drivers. You enter your offer once, and drivers near you can respond — all from your phone.
Raftar is not just about convenience — it’s about giving people freedom of movement, trust in their driver, and ownership of their journey. It’s about giving Afghan drivers a reliable source of income and passengers a safer, more dignified way to travel.
We didn’t just build another ride-hailing app.
We built a platform that speaks Afghanistan’s language, reflects our culture, and moves our cities forward — one ride at a time.
What We Do
At this early stage of our journey, we are focused on building a simple, powerful, and locally-relevant platform that solves real transportation challenges in Afghanistan. Here’s what Raftar is doing — and what we’re working toward:
Ride-Hailing for Everyone
We connect passengers with nearby drivers using a fair and flexible system. Passengers propose a fare, and available drivers can accept or counter the offer. This open model keeps pricing transparent and gives users more control — something that closely reflects how people naturally negotiate rides in Afghanistan.
Supporting Drivers with Opportunity
We believe drivers are the backbone of our platform. We’re building a system where drivers can earn fairly, avoid high commissions, and track their earnings easily. Drivers can top up their accounts manually, and we even offer small data incentives to help them stay connected and active on the road.
Building Local Solutions
Raftar is not a copy of global apps — it's designed for Afghan cities, Afghan drivers, and Afghan passengers. From our pricing model to our language support (Dari, Pashto, and English), every feature is shaped by how people actually live and move in this country.
Helping Local Businesses Get Discovered
As an added service to support digital growth, we help small businesses in Kabul and other cities get registered on Google Maps — for free. This improves the visibility of destinations for passengers, and strengthens the entire ecosystem around mobility and commerce.
Why Raftar
1. Built for Afghan Cities
Raftar is designed for the way people move in cities like Kabul, Herat, and Mazar — with offline habits, cash payments, and real street conditions in mind.
2. Fare Negotiation, Your Way
Raftar is designed for the way people move in cities like Kabul, Herat, and Mazar — with offline habits, cash payments, and real street conditions in mind.
3. From Your Doorstep
No more standing on the road. Book a ride from your exact location and let drivers come to you.
4. 100% Cash-Based, No Cards Needed
No digital payments? No problem. Pay your fare in cash — no wallet top-up or credit card required for passengers.
Our Mission
At Raftar, our mission is to make everyday transportation in Afghanistan simpler, safer, and more accessible for everyone. We aim to bring modern mobility solutions to Afghan cities while preserving the cultural norms that people already trust — like open price negotiation and face-to-face service. We’re committed to empowering local drivers with better income opportunities, reducing the stress of street haggling for passengers, and helping communities grow through smarter, tech-enabled transportation. From door-to-door rides to helping small businesses get discovered on the map, Raftar is here to move Afghanistan forward — one ride at a time.
Ready to Ride with Raftar?
Download the app today and experience a better way to move around Kabul and beyond.
Are you a driver? Join our growing team and start earning while serving your community.