The digital taxi business is booming in Kenya due to the high demand for convenient and affordable ride-sharing transport.
While initially popular for weekend social outings, ride-hailing services are now widely used for daily commutes, including work and school trips.
This has presented an opportunity for drivers and other investors to collect extra cash from the transport business.
Allan Macharia, a Nairobi-based cab driver, is among those relying on the digital taxi business as their source of income.
Macharia, who operates Bolt, says he treats the business as his profession, driving an average of 8 to 12 hours daily, from Monday to Sunday.
“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 said in an interview with Kenyans.co.ke.
From the trips, Macharia earns an average of Sh3,800 per day, which sometimes stretches to up to Sh150,000 per month, when the demand is high.
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“My target is around Sh3,800 daily. To get that, I have to make Sh6,500 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 Sh100,000. Even when you do Sh3,000 a day, that’s Sh90,000,” the driver adds, noting that he makes up to Sh150,000 during festivities.
Attributing his success to discipline, Macharia also says that observing demand helps him achieve his target.
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 Sh100 or Sh200 moving your vehicle rather than waiting at the same spot for hours and then getting a Sh200 trip. Is it worth the wait?” he narrates.
“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.
The father of four says that the business is enabling him to live comfortably including 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.
