The cab hailing app ShareCAB has been introduced into the Kenyan taxi market. The app is a product of a Kenyan company known as Virscom.
The new entrant comes at a time when a section of drivers allied to Uber, Little, Taxify, and Mondo continue to hold protests against payment rates offered by their respective service providers.
Virscom says that it seeks to position itself as the most affordable cab-hailing app in Kenya.
The entry of Uber in Kenya completely disrupted the cab-hailing industry thus ShareCAB enters a market that has already changed the narrative since taxi apps have been largely adopted
Drivers will be happy to know that the company will charge zero commission and this translates into fatter wallets for the drivers.
Uber has, in the past, experienced a strain in their relationship with their driver partners for increasing the commission that drivers pay to the company per trip.
The newbie has made it clear that it will beat the competition by availing additional cab-sharing options that will see customer save money.
Wait, then how will the company make money? Well, it turns out that the company’s business model requires drivers to pay a fixed membership fee of Kshs. 2000 per month.
Virscom Founder and CEO Mwakio Ngale stated that the company will operate on a model that will reduce prices for customers and increase earning for drivers.
The company will initially launch in Nairobi before extending its services to other parts of the country.
The Bumpy Ride
Major e-hailing apps such as Uber and Taxify have not had a smooth sail since their entry into the Kenyan market. Specifically, Uber has had to deal with striking drivers who protested their dwindling earnings after the company raised their commission.
Uber’s troubles began shortly after their entry into the Kenyan market in 2015. Traditional taxi drivers were not exactly happy with Uber’s entry especially after they realized that it would phase out their business model.
After this came the driver-partner strikes which lasted for weeks.
Taxify has not had it easy as well and this explains the regular fare reductions as it is seen an effort to attract and retain customers.
The challenges have not hindered these companies from introducing life-changing innovations. For instance, Uber recently introduce a driver selfie verification for security purposes, partnered with Old Mutual to offer financial literacy skills to its driver-partners, and not forgetting the frequent app updates.
ShareCAB thus enters a competitive market given that the key players, including Little, are working to dominate an industry that has been unstable since their introduction into the Kenyan market.
ShareCAB Prices
One Person ride
Base fare: KES 100
Minimum fare: KES 250
Sharing with one extra customer
Base fare: KES 50
Minimum fare: KES 125
Sharing with 2 people
Base fare: KES 34
Minimum fare: KES 84
Cost per minute: KES 4
Cost per kilometer: KES 30
About ShareCab
The innovative app is developed by a Kenyan.
It comes with fine touches like an SOS button which allows you to alert the police or a contact in case something goes wrong during the trip.
The company says that it will enhance security by conducting a thorough vetting process when picking its driver partners. This involves collecting and cross-checking their KRA certificate, national ID, passport size photos, and a certificate of good conduct.
The app can be downloaded on Google Play for Android. Those on the iOS and Windows platforms cannot download the app now but the company promises to develop apps for the two platforms in the near future.
