A breakthrough in adapting to the new order of life as a result of the Covid-19 social distancing  mandates, Kenya’s O-CITY is driving contactless payments across bus services in Nairobi, Kenya. The pilot initiative, designed to reduce the use of cash in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was launched in partnership with transport savings and credit specialists, NikoDigi, and Kenyan payments firm, Tracom, to accelerate the deployment of cashless fare collection. Used by 70% of the population in Kenya, Matatu buses are a dominant transport mode across the country whereby passengers traditionally pay in cash. O-CITY’s automated fare collection platform leverages the M-Pesa mobile wallet, which is used by 90% of the population in Kenya.

Passengers enter a code on their phone and a debit is made on their wallet, which can be instantly seen by drivers to grant access to ride. The platform removes unnecessary tickets and cash payments, instead offering an accessible payment solution that consumers already use, via a device already in their hand.

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“Having provided savings and credit management solutions for both the Matatu and Boda Boda (motorbike taxi) sectors, Nikodigi understands the needs of vehicle owners and drivers,” says Patrick Karera, MD at Nikodigi.

“Together with our partners, we have designed a product that automates fare collection without taking control away from the drivers and conductors or radically changing how they operate. We dubbed the solution “Lipafare” meaning ‘pay fare’.”

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SVP of smart city and transport solutions at BPC, Tokhir Abdukadyrov says that the “mobile money revolution has been happening in Kenya with the ubiquity and success of M-Pesa. The move away from cash to contactless public transport is an important part of this movement.”

“At O-CITY, we know that innovation does not always require new technologies, but instead new ways of performing a task. By connecting our O-CITY platform to mobile wallet M-Pesa, we’re able to build a simple contactless fare solution that is familiar to the customer and likely to encourage adoption. Moreover, it enables us to scale fast to roll out the service at a time when cashless payments have newfound importance.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry