Two childhood friends, Tim Kamanga and Mark Njagi have developed a new taxi-hailing app, Wasili Rider, tailored for their home town, Nakuru.
The two who are in their early 30’s say that they were pushed to develop the app for Nakuru, so as to match other towns that are saturated with taxi-hailing apps such as Uber, Taxify, Little Cab, Delight Cab, Jatco Travels, Jim Cabs and Pewin Cabs.
“We grew up in Nakuru and knew the challenges of securing a taxi, particularly as a visitor, so we decided to do something about bridging the gap. We also realised that the services in Nairobi are really picking up because they are more secure, convenient and comfortable – attributes residents of Nakuru would also appreciate,” says Mark.
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The duo who registered their business in June with only three cars on board have experienced tremendous uptake of the service, currently having 29 cabs on board.
They attribute the growth to reasonable charges to both drivers and riders they have effected to the service, as compare to the pre-existing apps that provide the same services.
“Our services are comparatively low. The least we charge is Ksh150, which is little lower than what taxis within Nakuru CBD charge, but a little higher than tuk-tuks,” explains Mark.
Wasili takes a 15 per cent commission from each trip a driver makes.
Before registering new drivers, they are vetted for legal documents, their cars checked to ensure they are fit for operation and then branded to start operations.
The duo are also looking to ship in vehicles that can accommodate the disabled.
Their hope for a booming business lies in the promise of a city in Nakuru, which will boost business activity.
“And now that the county will soon be a city, we hope to reap from an increase in business as more people flock to Nakuru to pursue various ventures,” adds Mark.
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