Uber, the innovative smartphone app that seamlessly connects riders to drivers, today announces that everyone in Nairobi can now pay using cash and mobile money after the successful conclusion of a two month payment pilot.
Alon Lits, Regional General Manager for sub Saharan Africa, says: “We received very positive feedback from our riders during the pilot. We have tripled our growth since then and the drivers using the Uber platform are taking more trips so taking more money home too. We have listened to this to and now we want everyone to enjoy the hassle-free convenience of ordering a safe ride at the push of a button. This is why we have adapted our technology to best meet the needs of the local consumers.”
Nairobi is one of the fastest growing cities internationally for Uber following the launch of the cash test pilot. It showed there was huge pent up demand for the Uber service as new rider sign-ups and referrals increased five fold. The number of partner-drivers has doubled over the last two months to cope with the growth in demand.
The Kenyan capital is the first city in Africa and only the second city in the world to be able to pay for an Uber trip by cash, following a similar test in Hyderabad, India that commenced on 12 May 2015.
Riders have access to all the current Uber features but can simply choose the CASH payment option, take a ride and pay their driver directly in cash at the end of the trip.
Nairobi and Hyderabad were the first two cities selected for this experiment because they provided Uber with the right environment to test a new payment option among a sizeable and sophisticated rider and driver community. Following the cash pilots in Nairobi and Hyderabad cash payments have been rolled out across five other cities in India.
Uber is encouraging all riders to try the service and give feedback, as information gained from riders is what will make this better. So riders are encouraged to ride and share their feedback with Uber at support.nairobi@uber.com or Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #UberCashKenya
Lits added that “The interest in Uber in Nairobi has been amazing. Nairobi is one of the most innovative cities on the continent and cash payments is one of the innovations we have made for the Nairobi market. We are excited to be extending this cash payment option to all Uber riders in the city as we give more people access to one of the safest and most reliable transportation options.”