Taxi hailing firm Mondo Ride woos companies with car-pooling option

What you need to know:

Mondo Large features taxis that can accommodate six to eight riders, enabling large groups of people to travel together.
It will cost higher than the standard taxis at Sh55 per kilometre, Sh3 per minute in addition to a base fare of Sh100.

Online taxi hailing firm Mondo Ride has launched a feature that allows request for larger taxis with an eye on corporate clients that wish to car-pool their staff.

Dubbed Mondo Large, it features taxis that can accommodate six to eight riders, enabling large groups of people to travel together.

Mondo Ride’s service will cost higher than the standard taxis at Sh55 per kilometre, Sh3 per minute in addition to a base fare of Sh100.

Shortest ride will cost Sh200. Mondo Ride’s fee for a standard taxi is Sh45 per kilometre, Sh3 per minute and a base fare of Sh100. The budget ride costs Sh35 per kilometre, Sh3 per minute and a base fare of Sh100.

The Dubai-based firm says the new service was prompted by the growing demand for larger taxis from corporate clients.

“We experienced a lot of demand for six to eight seaters, especially from our corporate clients and, therefore, decided to create a specific product attending to those needs,” said Joar Lindh, head of Africa at Mondo Ride.

Dandia app by Pewin Cabs offers a similar option where customers are billed according to capacity of taxi.

Mondo Ride’s new service comes weeks after the firm introduced a corporate booking feature that enables company employees to hail taxis and later send monthly bills to their employer.

READ: Mondo Ride cuts Nairobi fares in price war with Uber

The firm also allows riders without smartphones to request a ride through an all-day call centre that the firm has set up and from Mondo Ride kiosks which will be opened in parts of Nairobi.

Last month, the firm unveiled a feature that allows customers to choose preferred drivers. The feature seeks to make customers comfortable by helping them pick drivers that they are familiar with

Pre-booking of rides can now be done through the call centre and the online platform. The services are part of the firm’s strategy unveiled last month to help it grow its network and client base.

“If there is something we want to do in Nairobi, it is to personalise and localise products specifically for Nairobi,” said Mondo Ride CEO Troels Anderson.