Ever had issues with getting change on public transport or ever wanted to track how much you spend on transport every month? Well the Beba card is your solution. The Beba card is a transport payment card by google that uses NFC (Near Field Coommunication) technology.
Beba Card
This is how it works:
1. Locate a beba agent at any of these locations.
2. Register for the service. You need a gmail account & a mobile phone for this. One uses their gmail account and password to register for the service and to log onto their beba account online. Your phone number is linked to the card and every time you use it, you get a text message.
3. The beba card is free but you have to top it up with a minimum of Kshs. 200 (you can top up at these locations). The maximum top up amount is Kshs. 10,000.
4. Use it to pay bus fare on any of these bus routes. The bus conductor will take your card, swipe it on the back of an NFC enabled phone and you’ll get a receipt via text showing the amount you’ve been charged and what’s remaining in your account. At the moment the service is only available in Nairobi and on Citi Hoppa Buses.
The beba card while convenient, has certain limitations.
1. Conductors are opposed to it
Some bus conductors sometimes charge you and then don’t give a receipt as one writer notes so they don’t particularly like the beba card because it threatens their revenue stream. I produced my beba card in a bus once and the conductor insisted that they don’t accept them despite there being signs in the bus advertising its availability.
2. Topping up
There should be easier ways of topping up the card, like using Mpesa.
3. Bus Companies & Routes You Can Use It On
The service is limited to one bus company and to certain routes so its use is curtailed by this.
Have you used the beba card? Tell us your experience in the comments.