Kenya’s most popular public transport, matatus, have begun embracing mobile payments in a bid to curb the spread of the novel corona virus.
Matatus within Nairobi are working with Kenya’s leading telco, Safaricom, to enable matatu crew accept fares via M-Pesa, as opposed to cash payments.
Safaricom’s Chief Financial Services Officer, Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, said, “Many businesses are seeing an increase in demand to accept M-PESA payments due to the ongoing concerns around the Coronavirus and our recent move to enable Kenyans send M-PESA transactions of KES 1,000 and below for free. Our partnership with the different public transit players brings the convenience and safety of M-PESA to this crucial sector given the widespread uptake of public transport across the country.”
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A popular Nairobi bus service, City Star Shuttle, has already started using the service in its fleet of more than 300 vehicles.
The service will soon be rolled out to other matatu companies.
The move will keep public transport companies compliant to the government’s earlier recommendation of digital payments, to combat the spread of Corona virus.
Kenya has of yesterday reported 25 confirmed cases of the novel corona virus. The government has since urged citizens to stay in doors where possible, and prioritise digital payments in place of physical cash.
Safaricom and other local telcos waived mobile money fees for smaller transactions for a 90 day period.
Matatus have a tumultuous history with cashless payments.
In 2014, the Kenyan government issued an order that users of public transport be required to use a prepaid transport card. A move that was not received well by players in the matatu industry, particularly the bus crews. The pilot quickly failed and Kenyans fell back to paying for their matatu rides in cash.
