The Easter season has picked up in earnest, as buses to upcountry routes as well as Mombasa register full bookings.
“We have noticed high traffic to the website, with 1,500 visits daily,” said George Makori, chief operating officer at Voltic, the developers of transport logistics app iabiri which operates on both mobile and desktop computers.
The booking system has facilitated more than 2 million ticket sales for travellers, with an option to choose points of pick up and drop off for their journey.
Travellers also choose from a range of 25 bus companies, depending on the quality of services being offered, the pricing of their tickets and value such as luxury seat options. All that is done on the app or on a desktop computer, and payment for the travel ticket completed via mobile transfer options or cash.
The company is using data collected on their system to work on modalities that can improve the travel experience. For instance, they are finalizing on plans to incorporate travel insurance for passengers who book on the platform, a service that has previously been only used in air travel. This means that passengers are assured of compensation in the event of accidents or losses during their travel.
“The most popular routes are Nairobi to the west of Kenya, both inbound and outbound. These routes record buses leaving several times a day and even at night,” Makori said, adding that data collected on the platform will be used by transport business owners to increase fleet on routes that have better returns.
Travellers can use the app to book transport for various routes in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, with destinations including Moyale, Mandera, Mombasa, Malindi, Kampala, Wajir, Kitale, Kisumu, Busia, Kampala among other long distance destinations.
This writer attempted to book a bus for travel from Nairobi to upcountry destinations west of Kenya for travel over the Easter weekend, and none of the routes had available buses. On the booking page, the app indicates what each bus company will offer travellers, for instance, if there are first class, business, and economy sections. Another is whether there is air conditioning on-board, wi-fi Internet, charging ports for mobile phones, tracking of the bus on transit, and water provided for customers. Others have entertainment on board.
