Connecting the Continent: The Evolution 🧬 of Transportation 🚄 in Africa 🌍
How on God’s green 🟢 earth does a company commute people to their locations without owning a car 🚗?
Hello 🙋🏽♀️ Dear 🧸 Innovator,
It’s here! The anticipated newsletter edition on commutation is right here and you are looking at it!
You don’t have to reach for it much longer, but we’ll get into it soon, just make sure you read to the end!
If you always read our midweek check-in on Wednesday, then you are one step ahead as always 😄. We briefed our readers and said to look forward to “The innovation of commutation in Africa” from us as your favorite innovation supporters.
We can all agree that things have evolved from having just the Danfo buses in Lagos, Taxis in Kenya, and motorcycles in South Africa. Now these means of transportation operate under companies within safer and corporate settings.
Companies like Uber, Bolt, and Rida want a bite of the transportation cake and they are biting with all the sophistication of the 21st Century.
But first… 🤔😂
Since every industry and everything that affects our daily life has a representation in the digital space, it’s no surprise that transportation is now aided by technology. Riders now turn to reputable companies for safe, reliable, and convenient commutation to their destinations.
We’ll start from the newest, then down to the OGs (by our judgment) of the commutation industry. This is to demonstrate the growth in the African tech space and the room for newer innovation-oriented products.
We know Uber all too well already (So maybe we’ll skip it 🤷🏽♀️), but as innovators, we encourage our Consonance community of innovators, that the market has everything except the uniqueness they have to offer.
This one is dedicated to the innovators out there making commutation dreams come through by acting on their dreams. We see you!
InDrive
InDrive is the new kid on the African block and just like Payday, it has taken over the advertisement space- at least we speak for Twitter users when we say this. No comment section is safe where Indrive is concerned.
InDrive is putting itself out there and if pioneer competitors have not previously done their due diligence in establishing themselves in the industry, this could be a recipe for intimidation. InDrive might have been shown the ropes of the African space by the older guys because influencers like Layi Wasabi are in on it already if you know what I mean 😂😂.
According to Wikipedia - InDrive (previously known as InDriver), is an international ride-hailing service with more than 150 million downloads operating in 47 countries. It is Headquartered in Mountain View, California and it is the second-largest ridesharing and taxi app worldwide by downloads.
Indrive launched officially in 2013, so it’s not so new after all, it’s just new to some spaces. it functions in both small towns with lesser populations and largely populated areas.
It connects you and your driver directly, and you can even negotiate the price ride with your driver before you start the ride. Indrive leaves the decision between the passenger and the driver, and not necessarily some invisible higher power or alternative motives ( sometimes in the name of 5-star reviews) 😉.
In layman's terms, it’s like your negotiation with your driver at the car pack, but this time with the sophistication of a digital device in getting you connected.
Indrive is a more popular choice these days, and it operates by the motto “People driven”. It seems consumers are excited to have a transportation service that gives them a sit at the decision-making table, hence the high patronage and good reviews.
SafeBoda
SafeBoda is a motorbike-hailing transportation/logistic company headquartered in Kampala and operating in Uganda and Nigeria.
The name can be linked to “Boda Boda” as motorcycle 🏍 taxis are popularly called in Uganda. It’s smart to prefix your company name that offers the same services with “Safe” to brand yourself as the better choice for consumers.
Safeboda is a transportation company with a difference, they are the branded version of Okada in Nigeria and Boda Boda in Uganda. This reminds us as Africans to always stay true to our roots, or better yet take inspiration from them. Safeboda is a ride-hailing service provider with a difference because it doesn’t only ride people safely to their locations, but it also delivers packages safely.
Motorcycles are a means of transportation, but SafeBoda is that company cashing in on it, while others focus on cars and buses, and here’s how;
Drivers sign up with compulsory a fee on the SafeBoda app and are trained over a period of time to offer the services. The training includes being given two helmets, one for the driver and the other for the rider.
After the training is completed, they begin to take ride requests from customers over the app. SafeBoda makes a profit by taking a percentage of revenue from each ride, and they also identify their drivers with a number and track them through the company system.
With growth, came expansion, and in 2019 SafeBoda added food, delivery, and payment offerings to its app, this was added to the user's ability to take rides. This addition came after SafeBoda’s expansion to Kenya in 2018 but, operations in the country were put on hold in November 2020 following the prevalence of COVID-19 and its impact on the transport business
In March 2020, SafeBoda expanded to Nigeria by starting operations in the southwestern city of Ibadan and has experienced nothing but success, as well as the challenges that come with it. SafeBoda is a pioneer and we can’t wait to see where its lights shine next.
Bolt
Bolt is a top-of-the-mind brand in ride-hailing services. Does “Bolt ⚡” sound familiar? It hit the Jackpot with a brand name that to a large extent describes its services to both suspecting and unsuspecting customers.
According to Wikipedia, Bolt was founded in 2013 by Markus Villig a then 19-year-old high-school student. Markus began working on the first iteration of Bolt after receiving a €5000 loan from his family (Note 📝 to budding innovators).
Bolt is one of those transportation companies making the world go round, without necessarily owning a car as a means of transportation. They make the world go round because they are at the forefront of making moving needs come through, and also because they connect people to the world by getting them safely to their locations. With Bolt, we are constantly going around in this world.
Now here’s how;
Drivers/car owners are encouraged to earn extra money by signing up to get people safely to their destinations. They are allowed to set their schedules and they get paid each week. Now, this sounds too Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy, but of course, there are scrutiny and regulations these car owners have to pass through, to reinforce their standards as a company.
Bolt offers a variety of services that make it stand out in the market, these services include Delivery, Micro-mobility (2-wheel rental), Groceries, Car-sharing, and of course Rides. The Car-sharing services Bolt offers seem to be a first 🥇 by a commutation company. At Bolt, they say “Request in seconds, ride in minutes” Little wonder when you visit the Bolt website, or download the app, you get served as per your location, because Bolt does have a wide reach.
Bolt has over 100 million customers around the world, is in 5 continents and 45 countries, and has over 3.1 million drivers and couriers in these places.
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Thanks for always.
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