[quote=tom_boy]Fantastic idea. It is just a larger version of shared rides. With an app and a 14 seater matatu and using power of algorithms it is possible to get an app that assesses traffic, passenger location and driver location. Put them all together for doorstep pick up to a ride into town to a designated drop off or drop offs. For a small premium, millions would opt for this mode of transport. [/quote]

I think that is exactly how they should do it. It might take a while for Kenyans watch from a far on whether it's working, but as they say, innovations are born out of a pain. If it's even solving a small ache, it will succeed. Kinda reminds me of how the traditional taxis never saw it coming and even after it came, some like my former taxi driver who I don't know where he disappeared to, said Uber was just a passing hype that would not last.

[quote=KulaRaha]

Did hailing apps create a new market or just open up an existing one that wasn't served properly?
[/quote]
I take it to be a new market. Just like it's said Equity and MPESA have assisted the unbanked, Uber opened an avenue for many who'd normally not have taken taxis. Number of trips pre & post uber is uncomparable

[quote=Sansa]Hmmm ... I don't like this idea. This is money being taken away from Kenya. Uber will finyilia guys and take off with huge profits.[/quote]

That's the sad truth. But it's as a result of our failure mainly due to corruption. The advantage is that the government won't need to waste taxpayers money for this solution.
But the answer has been below the government's nose all this time, Tha train! Do they not see how full it gets when matatus are on strike?

@drobos, why would a ma3 owner, driver, conductor sign up for this?

[quote=quicksand][quote=Lolest!]@drobos, why would a ma3 owner, driver, conductor sign up for this?[/quote]

Why do you think the concept is targeted at conventional or current matatu owners? We are limiting our imagination here by applying our broken matatu model to this,...in fact, if Uber tries to emulate the matatu way of doing things, it is likely not to work..
Expanding on @Drobos idea, imagine this scenario ...its 5:30 pm, day over at Industrial Area for instance, people milling about, a prospective traveller enters his or her usual route, Industrial Area Street A to BuruBuru shopping center ..., and so do a few others, the Uber app aggregates people originating from one point and are terminating their journeys at different points along the same route, Shell, phase 5, buru centre ...it sees there is a quorum, may be 7 people are sufficient,...it generates a code for the route, lets call it a journey code and searches nearby to see if there are any vans available and publishes ...a driver signs up/activates the journey code and moves to the first pick up point ....
See? Not hard at all.
There will be challenges (legal and regulatory), and matatu owners will be rebel and be petulant to the ends of the earth, but the matatu industry will be disrupted....we are reaching a tipping point with this madness.[/quote]
Interesting @quicksand. The problem with ma3 trips is they don't work like cab trips. But I guess the premise of your argument is that carpooling will sort the passengers(correct). Issue is how to attract vehicle owners especially coz it has to be PSV?

Return trips for your guy after dropping clients in Buru? This has been the main attraction in Uber(many trips & reduced dead mileage).

But interesting idea. Would love to see it work BTW. Reminds me of these Nipe Lift guys we were discussing on another thread. http://www.wazua.co.ke/forum.aspx?g=posts&m=853108