SWVL, a bus sharing service application, has on Tuesday, March 9 announced the resumption of its regular commuter services across Nairobi County.
This is after the ride-hailing company was forced to halt its services in 2019 by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) after it operated under Tour Service License but still engaged in commuter services.
This prompted NTSA to issue an order for SWVL to either cease operations in Nairobi or face arrests.
This was confirmed by SWVL General Manager in Kenya Dip Patel who stated that the company had launched strategic plans aimed at serving commuters while still adhering to the Covid-19 regulations provided by the Ministry of Health.
"We identified the areas of change and have used the information to advise our new innovations and the decision to fully restart our regular rides service across the city.
"Our aim is to ensure that we provide a service for every kind of commuter in the country," Patel said.
The service company is currently in more than five countries. It operates buses along fixed routes and allows customers to reserve and pay for them using an app. Further, the app allows users to get notifications of the nearest pick-up point, price and scheduled departure times.
Patel also affirmed that the regular commuter service will be available across Nairobi County. The company recently launched SWVL Carpool and SWVL Travel as part of its strategic move to woo customers.
For SWVL Carpool, users are able to share a ride on a fixed route at a specified time while SWVL Travel offers long-distance services.
Patel added that they would continue to work with the key stakeholders in the transport industry in order to create an efficient system supported by their technology.
“Anyone with the necessary documentation is free to approach us and once taken through the verification and onboarding process can operate via our platform,” Patel stated.
