While we thought the effects of COVID-19 were not adverse in regards to the technology industry, the case might be different. As companies globally strive to recover from the dip in income and drop in customer base as a result of the pandemic, the transport sector is likely to take longer. SafeBoda Kenya, the Kenyan arm of the motorbike hailing company, has announced that it will be halting operations in the capital effective 27th November, 2020.
This was a hard decision for us to make but we are still dedicated to empowering communities. Thank you for being a part of the #NduthiGang. We love you🧡 pic.twitter.com/AsuB5j6tWn
— SafeBoda Kenya (@SafeBoda_Kenya) November 16, 2020
In a statement issued by the company, it is clear that business in Kenya seems to have failed to balance as “boda transportation has been hit hard.” The company which launched in Uganda 2015, Kenya in 2018, and Nigeria early this year. As the Kenyan operations go on pause, the Ugandan and Nigerian markets will continue operating.
Below is the statement from the company:
SafeBoda has made a very difficult decision to pause Rides & Send services from the 27th of November 2020. While Nairobi is seeing some economic recovery from Covid-19, boda transportation has been hit hard. This has meant our business cannot sustainably operate in this environment and unfortunately the timeline for a full recovery is not certain.
This decision is a hard one for SafeBoda to make. We know that this will negatively impact our community of boda boda drivers. Our community is at the core of what we do at SafeBoda. In Nairobi, we set out to professionalize and improve the boda industry, building a community of over 4,000 SafeBodas that followed road safety rules, helmet wearing and gave great customer service. Over the past two years, our customers enjoyed the SafeBoda service and completed millions of rides in Nairobi.
From now until the 27th of November we will be promoting our SafeBoda drivers and this will be a chance for customers to use their remaining wallet balances to take rides or send packages.
SafeBoda will continue to grow in Uganda and Nigeria and will continue to be dedicated to empowering its communities to thrive.
Asante Asana, The Nduthi Gang If any questions please contact us on: 0700030048, 0745780510 or 0759949805.
