Kenya Ferry posts 46pc rise in revenue on cashless fees

Commuters alight from Mv Kwale at the Likoni Ferry crossing. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) has posted a 46.42 percent revenue growth in the past year following the introduction of cashless payments for services at the Likoni Channel.

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which took over operations of the ferries, said its monthly collections have shot up to a million a month.

“Monthly income collection has increased dramatically, from Sh30 million to Sh56 million after the cashless system was put in place,” said KPA managing director William Ruto.

He said the barrier gates and heightened surveillance are boosting operations at the channel.

The installation of CCTV cameras also curbed crime in the vicinity.

The newly constructed barrier gates, still in the pilot stage, consist of an automated system that reads the number plate of a vehicle to ensure that it has paid before clearing it to pass.

If a driver fails to pay via the USSD code provided, the gates remain closed until a confirmation is made of the receipt of the money.

The payment is delivered directly to a bank, reducing the long process that would cost the KFS.

The channel now serves at least 7,000 cars per day, each required to pay between Sh120 and Sh7,900 per crossing depending on size.

Traffic snarl-ups

Before the Kenya Ferry Services provided the USSD code, motorists would be required to pay via one mobile money service provider.

However, the crossing channel has recently witnessed a surge in traffic after the indefinite closure of the Liwatoni Bridge and the suspension of the Mtongwe ferry services.

As a result, frequent traffic snarl-ups have been experienced, especially during peak hours and weekends when most people are connecting between Kwale and Mombasa counties.

Leaders in the two counties have previously called for an improvement of the services, saying the frequent traffic jams were hurting tourism revenues.

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