You might accuse me of lying if I told you that a driver in Nairobi is earning over Ksh100,000 per month. Well, I am not.
Meet Allan Macharia, the father of four consistently brings home more than Ksh100,000 every month and sometimes even hits Ksh150,000 during festivities.
We caught up with him in Nairobi’s Riverside Estate, where he’d paused for a short break. Calm, reflective, and clearly proud of his journey, Macharia described how his life changed when he signed up to drive with Bolt three years ago.
“I start my day like most people with a regular job. I don’t wake up that early, but I treat every day as official. After dropping my kids at school, I boot the app and start working,” he tells Kenyans.co.ke.
Macharia drives an average of 8 to 12 hours daily, working all seven days of the week. His daily take-home, he says, averages around Ksh3,800.
According to the seasoned driver, discipline is his biggest asset. Macharia says he treats his work as a professional.
Macharia revealed that he operates with a target in mind. This habit, which he developed during his 15 years in the transport sector, stems from his previous work before being deemed surplus to requirements following the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.
The driver says he has to make Ksh6,500 daily to meet his target of Ksh3,800. “My target is around Ksh3,800 daily. To get that, I have to make Ksh6,500 in total, with one part going to the car and the rest being my take-home,” he says.
“In a month working full days, I make more than Ksh 100,000. Even when you do Ksh3,000 a day, that's Ksh90,000,” he asserts.
Beyond discipline, Macharia has learnt a few trade secrets. The driver says that when he notices the day has become slow, he opts to drive to another place, maybe one or two kilometres, to find a new market.
“You'd better waste Ksh100 or Ksh200 moving your vehicle rather than waiting at the same spot for hours and then getting a Ksh200 trip. Is it worth the wait?” he narrates.
Though he doesn’t favour specific zones, Macharia has developed an instinct for knowing when and where to shift. “Some places where drivers say it’s slow can suddenly be the best for business. I don’t dismiss any area,” he notes.
According to Macharia, avoiding places where there are many cabs also helps keep a driver active. He says he has learnt that visibility on the Bolt app improves when he stays active.
Macharia credits Bolt’s platform for offering consistent demand and opportunities. “When I started, the platform didn’t have as many customers. Now, the rides are more frequent, and the work is more reliable,” he observes.
That reliability has allowed him to focus entirely on one platform. “I don’t have any other app,” he says proudly. “I specialise, and that has worked for me.”
According to Bolt Kenya, drivers who actively use the app and maintain high ratings are more likely to receive increased ride requests, giving them a competitive advantage and greater earning potential on the platform.
The father of four says he has seen the fruits of his labour. He is comfortably paying off the loan on his car and paying for high school for his kin. “I don’t have to borrow. When you see that you are able to pay your bills and school fees and live well. That makes you feel good,” he says.
Although operating a taxi has its difficulties, Macharia claims that his training in customer service helps him deal with the various clients who hail his car.
Macharia says he has learnt to trust Bolt Kenya to deal with any challenges, including when customers underpay or refuse to pay, which has made his work easier.
“Some read out your name, thinking they are sending you money. When checking your messages later, you discover they did not pay or paid you less. In that case, I put in a complaint to Bolt and they refunded my money,” he narrated.
For Macharia, Bolt Kenya has been a partner, and he insists he is reaping the rewards from the company's growing footprint in Kenya. “My goal is to buy two more cars so that I can be an employer,” he says.
