Duo’s Nakuru taxi hailing app driving towards success

It may be just five months old, but taxi hailing app Wasili Cabs is already attracting customers in droves in Nakuru town.

The app launched in June 2018 with three cars but this has sharply risen to 83 vehicles.

The venture is the brainchild of Mark Njagi and Tim Kamanga. Mr Njagi 30, is a business man with a vast experience in the transport industry. He is following in his father’s footsteps who owned a fleet of matatus. Mr Kamanga 30, is an IT expert who studied Computer Science.

The two grew up together in Shabab estate, Nakuru Town and have been friends for more than 20 years.

“We started with three vehicles and we currently have 83 vehicles,” they announce, barely able to conceal their joy stemming from the fact that they are staring at a huge success few months into the business.

It usually takes some years for a start-up to break even and begin the growth path. No so for Wasili Cabs, which seems to have found some magic for quick success.

“We keep on adding to the fleet as the demand rises. We also plan to roll out the service in all Rift Valley counties soon,” says Mr Kamanga, adding that they also want to have on board cars that can cater for the needs of the disabled and children.

The app can be downloaded on Play Store or Apple store. After downloading you register as a user.

The rides, whose minimum charge is Sh150, are monitored by a 24/7 call centre for safety and to ensure everything is smooth.

Drivers, the innovators say, are licensed taxi professionals who comply with local regulations as well as Wasili’s high standards of service.

Mr Kamanga says they prefer vehicles with relatively lower consumption of fuel to enable them and the drivers to get more earnings.

“We take in low consumption vehicles of 1300cc. A car owner takes home a net income of Sh9,000 a week,” he reveals.

The duo are banking on the plans to make Nakuru a city for their growth. “We hope to reap from an increase in business as more people flock to Nakuru to pursue business,” they say.

Despite their roaring success, the duo say they have faced some challenges.

“We have had challenges changing the mindset and perception of people that taxis are a reserve for the moneyed few,” Mr Njagi says.

“Like other startups, we have also had a challenge in terms of financing, but we have been fortunate to attract many people to invest in the business as car owners.”