Uber sees opportunity for minibus service in Nairobi
Company says new service will allow commuters to book seats on minibuses in the Kenyan capital
NAIROBI — Uber may roll out a new service in Kenya to help users book seats on minibuses that ply the streets of the congested capital, if tests on the product in Egypt and Mexico prove successful, a company executive said on Wednesday. Uber estimates that more than a third of Kenyans in Nairobi use the often crowded minibuses, known as matatus, as their main form of transport around the city, Uber East Africa GM Loic Amado told Reuters. “We want to be part of the transportation ecosystem in Nairobi and matatus are a big part of how people move around,” he said, adding the feature would be available on the Uber app. The company already operates Uber Pool and Uber Express Pool in cities such as London and New York, so taxi drivers can carry more passengers heading to the same or nearby destinations. The service that may be rolled out in Kenya is being tested in Egypt’s capital Cairo and the Mexican city of Monterrey. Uber, which launched in Kenya four years ago and now has 6,000 acti...
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