Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) in partnership with Craft Silicon, has today launched Little Cab, a Kenyan taxi hailing solution to provide convenient and affordable cab services to customers.
The App is a homegrown, reliable and cost-effective Kenyan innovation that provides unrivaled experiences to customers by giving them more value for their money as they seek transport solutions.
By putting together customers and taxi drivers, the app enables users to enjoy lower rates than if they were to use on-street options. Little Cab is currently the most affordable option in the market, charging a minimum fare of Ksh270 and a cost of KSh55 per km.
“Our partnership with Craft Silicon is a demonstration of benefits of businesses coming together to address challenges facing our customers. We believe that Little Cab will provide better passenger experiences by connecting them with more reliable, cost effective options,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.
Key distinguishing features of the Little Cab partnership include the provision of free Wi-Fi services in every vehicle under the partnership, which will be powered by Safaricom.
Users can also opt for a ‘Ride Later’ option that allows them to schedule their trips to avoid inconvenience.
The App offers convenient payment options that include cash, cards and LIPA NA M-PESA as drivers will be provided with Paybill numbers. Little Cab will also offer the ability to redeem Safaricom Bonga Points for free rides in coming weeks.
“Little Cab aims to achieve one million rides in the next six months by entrenching and differentiating ourselves as a homegrown taxi app. We are confident that we will deliver distinctive experiences for our customers. We are also keen on empowering our drivers economically by offering them more returns on investment through value ads such as free data and phones and favorable rates,” said Kamal Budhabhatti, CEO, Craft Silicon.
“Little Cab will take no more than 15% off driver’s earnings, compared to other players in the market; Uber’s 25%, Mdundo’s 22%, and Dandia’s 18%,” added Mr. Buddhabatti.
A first in Kenya and Africa, Little Cab has introduced a lady friendly category, Lady Bug, with professional lady drivers to ensure women’s safety on the road, which so far has 40 drivers.
Lady Bug service will be open for requests to all customers from 6:00 am until 6:00pm, after which only ladies will be allowed to make a request. Other categories include; Comfort and Basic, which vary in pricing.
The app also features a corporate option though which businesses can offer Little Cab as a convenient corporate taxi option for their employees. A corporate dashboard will enable businesses track and manage employee rides down to department level, while users can easily switch between personal and corporate rides on the app.
Little Cab is currently available on Android and Windows phones and will soon be available to iOS phone users. Those without smartphones will be able to access the service via USSD in coming weeks.
Other features of the App include: Real-Time Driver information, Live GPS enabled maps and ability for riders to give feedback.
Little Cab comparison with competing services
| Base Fare | Cost Per Kilometre | Cost Per Minute | Surge Fare | |
| Little Cab | – | 55 | 4 | No |
| Uber | 100 | 60 | 4 | Yes |
| Mondo ride | 100 | 58 | 4 | No |
| Taxify | 100 | 50 | 5 | Yes |
| Dandia | – | 300 per zone | – | No |
| Maramoja | – | 250 per zone | – | No |
*Source: Published Rates from Various Service Providers