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Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: RV Pundit on November 25, 2016, 12:43:03 PM

Title: Taxi hailing competition - too good to be true.
Post by: RV Pundit on November 25, 2016, 12:43:03 PM
http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Little-Ride-s-fares-cut-sparks-fresh-price-war-with-Uber/996-3463914-nlthv2z/index.html
Title: Re: Taxi hailing competition - too good to be true.
Post by: Empedocles on November 25, 2016, 04:56:51 PM
Getting slightly too crowded which favors customers with lower prices.

Sendy is already bolting:

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Sendy terminates online hailing service (http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2016/11/kenya-sandy-terminates-online-hailing-service/)

Safaricom-backed courier firm Sendy has terminated its online taxi hailing service, According to Business Daily this was done in a bid to concentrate on its core logistics business at a time when competition in the cab sector is growing.

According to the Business Daily, Sendy Ride, the on-demand taxi and motorcycle service offered by Safaricom, was shut down last month after just two months in operation.

The tech start-up was launched in September 2014 linking parcel senders to a network of transporters using motorcycle, van and pick-up trucks to deliver goods.

Sendy, which received Safaricom support in November last year through its Spark Fund, ventured into the taxi business in August while also expanding its logistics business to Kisumu, Mombasa and Thika.

Business Daily reports that Meshack Alloys, the Sendy chief executive officer, said the company was piloting the taxi business and the decision to pull the plug on it will enable the company expand its courier services.

Competition in the taxi hailing business has been growing since San Francisco based Uber launched in January 2015, with companies like Mondo Ride, Little Ride, Taxify, Easy Taxi and Pewin now offering similar services.

Mr Alloys told the Business Daily that the pilot was suspended in October due to the demand from customers in the core logistics business. The company’s mobile application allows senders to keep track of the goods in transit through live updates.

The company has a fleet of 800 vehicles which include motorcycles, trucks and pick-ups.

I've been using Uber / Little Cabs and I must say I'm very impressed with the services. No hours long negotiation marathons before the ride, clean cabs, and a very nice atmosphere.

Title: Re: Taxi hailing competition - too good to be true.
Post by: Nefertiti on November 25, 2016, 05:46:36 PM
What we need is more VC's like Safaricom Spark Fund. There is enough local talent to launch all kinds of business. I have seen folks like Church-Blaze raising funds kienyeji I wonder why they can't go to VC's.

http://www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/k24-tv/233944/churchblaze-seek-sh200m-growth-capital/

Title: Re: Taxi hailing competition - too good to be true.
Post by: Empedocles on November 25, 2016, 06:28:39 PM
What we need is more VC's like Safaricom Spark Fund. There is enough local talent to launch all kinds of business. I have seen folks like Church-Blaze raising funds kienyeji I wonder why they can't go to VC's.

http://www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/k24-tv/233944/churchblaze-seek-sh200m-growth-capital/

Some, not all, Kenyan VC's take advantage of the local talent's lack of legal understanding to rip them off.

Investors turned vultures: Disquiet as venture capitalists prey on Kenya’s start-ups (https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2000099250/investors-turned-vultures-disquiet-as-venture-capitalists-prey-on-kenya-s-start-ups)

What we would first need is the government to set up a program whereby the entrepreneurs would be able to get sufficient legal advice before they sign on the dotted line. Something like the newly launched www.ajiradigital.go.ke/:

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AJIRA DIGITAL PROGRAM aims to introduce young people in Kenya to online work and provide the tools, training and mentorship needed for young people to work and earn an income through online work.

OBJECTIVES
1. To raise the profile of online work.
2. Promote a mentorship and collaborative learning approach to finding online work.
3. Provide Kenyans with access to online work.
4. Promote Kenya as a destination for online work.

We have the talent which just needs to be nurtured.