When Uber came into the Kenyan market, there was cause for celebration from Nairobians who were tired of being fleeced by cab drivers. Back then what used to happen was that the cabbies would lie to you that they were on their way and you would still be waiting for them 3 hours down the line. They basically used to take advantage of the fact that you could not be able to verify their location. Another trick that they used to use to fleece customers was to tell you to add the fare midway the trip with the excuse that the destination was further than they had anticipated. If you protested they would threaten to leave you in the middle of nowhere more so if it was at night. There were also cases of theft and sexual harassment with ladies being asked to text the number plates of the cab that they would use to get home from the club incase anything happened.
With Uber things were different as one could be able to check and confirm the price on the app before commencing on the journey. This helped eliminate the arbitrary price increases. One could also be able to tell where the cab actually was so there was no more “niko hapa kwa corner nakuja”. Security of the passengers was also improved as one could easily get the details of the driver and the car that was used in the trip. All these things made Uber’s entry into the cab business in Nairobi relatively easy.
However, it has not been smooth sailing for taxi hailing service because as soon as the kawaida cab guys started to realize that they were losing their clientele they turned violent. This was in a bid to push Uber out of the market, they even went to the extent of burning one Uber cab. It was after this that the government decided to act and had the arsonists arrested and charged. This helped cool things with the other cab guys having to accept that Uber was here to stay. Their next challenge came in the form of a competitor in the name of Little Cab. Little Cab was launched in conjunction with Safaricom hence presented a formidable challenge. Uber reacted to their entrance by slashing fares much to the dismay of their partners. This led to the deterioration of service for some time as the incomes of the partners decreased.
As Uber marks two years since their initial foray into the Kenyan market. They have launched a new app which promises to make it more convenient for you to use Uber.
The app has the following features;
Your favorites in one tap
The new app uses machine learning to learn your routines and can be able to suggest shortcuts to most frequented destinations on the home screen.
Calendar
Your calendar will help the app know where you want to go. Users will also be able to integrate the native calendars of iOS or Android devices (which includes the other calendars that have been synced with those) to suggest destinations that the app couldn’t know from machine learning, like a restaurant you’re due to be at in about 20 minutes or an airport where you will soon be hopping on a flight.
Choose your ride
The app now lets you scroll and choose the ride that you would like at a given point in time. It has three options UberX, UberBlack and UberPool. UberX is the kawaida cabs, UberBlack which is yet to be launched in Kenya has prestigious vehicles like the Mercedes and BMW’s of this world whereas UberPool lets people going in the same direction to cab pool. The options are grouped by price point.
Know the cost before you request
The app will now be giving customers about the cost of a trip upfront and before requesting a ride. This will make it easier for you to compare the costs of all your options.
Make friends your destination
The update to the app now allows you to ping a friend through the app after which they will be asked if they want to share their location. If they accept, the app will route you to wherever they are. This is helpful if whoever you are meeting is on the move lets say they are bar-hopping.
However, the app only shares the location that the friend is at that point and does not update should they move to a different location.
All your trip details in one place
The new app has all your trip information at a glance. From the driver’s name, photo, and number plate. You can also share your status with friends and family, split fare and even change your direction as the ride progresses.
SnapChat filters
For those who are into Snapchat, an Uber ride allows you to unlock exclusive snapchat filters through the app.