KENYA – Swvl, Egyptian ride-hailing firm, has resumed commuter services in Nairobi which had been disrupted by stay-at-home measures taken to contain the spread of Covid-19 last year.

The tech firm scaled down operations at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya in March last year following a decrease in commuter numbers.

The firm’s popular city routes included Ruiru to the CBD/Upper Hill, Karen to CBD/Westlands via Upper Hill, Ongata Rongai to Westlands/CBD via Upper Hill, Ruiru to Westlands, Ndenderu to CBD/ Upper Hill, and Kikuyu to CBD/ Upper Hill in Nairobi and its environs.

In November 2020, the firm launched long-distance trips outside Nairobi in partnership with select public service vehicle operators to boost revenues.

“We’ve identified the areas of change and have used the information to advise our new innovations and the decision to fully restart our regular rides service across the city. Our aim is to ensure that we provide a service for every kind of commuter in the country”

Dip Patel – General Manager, Swvl Kenya

The new routes included Nakuru, Nyeri, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kisii and Mombasa.

Swvl, which launched in Kenya in February 2019, said an uptick in demand for inter-city/town travel informed their decision to keep the long-distance services in the last three months.

“During the pandemic period, we took our time to analyse the patterns and needs of commuters. We identified the areas of change and have used the information to advise our new innovations and the decision to fully restart our regular rides service across the city. Our aim is to ensure that we provide a service for every kind of commuter in the country,” said Swvl Kenya General Manager Dip Patel.

The app-based service allows users to book trips using their mobile devices, which notifies them of the nearest pick-up point, price, and time by the bus.

The tech company leases the vehicles that currently include 11-seater and 14-seater vans as well as 22-seater shuttles to ply the various routes.

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