Official launch of Yego mobility in Kenya, 5th may, 2023
Studies on ride hailing specific to Kenya have also been done, including those performed in Nairobi by a research firm for the GIZ agency in 2019. This study determined that 86% of Nairobi residents owned a smartphone while 58% reported having used ride hailing services.
The ride hailing usage was skewed towards younger people, with two thirds (66%) of the users being below 35 years of age.
The above findings reveal a population well informed, equipped and primed to take up ride hailing.
The 2019 study went further to categorise modes of transport into primary and secondary modes. Only 2% of respondents reported using digital taxis as primary transport while 1% reported using digital taxis as a secondary mode.
The above statistics point towards a potentially huge unmet need for ride hailing services.
The survey identified what people liked about digital taxis namely: Savings on time, convenience, comfort, safety, efficiency, cost effectiveness, well qualified drivers, privacy and ease of availability.