Rapid Ride woos Kenyan digital taxi drivers with zero-commission model

Kenyan company Rapid Ride has launched digital ride-hailing services in the local market with a model that sees drivers keep all fares and pay a subscription fee.

The company launched on Wednesday and said it seeks to address “unfair” driver commissions and gaps in rider safety. Rapid Ride drivers will keep their full fares while paying “only a negligible” subscription fee, it said.

“This model makes earnings more predictable, transparent, and sustainable. Fare calculations are clear, and payments are made on time, every time,” said Rapid Ride.

The company promised safety with a one-time password (OTP) verification system to ensure riders enter the right vehicle, an SOS feature, and 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and an in-app live chat feature.

Rapid Ride becomes the latest entrant into the local digital taxi scene, whose major players include the Kenyan-owned Faras and Little, the U.S. company Uber, Bolt from Estonia and the Indian mobility company Yego.]

Typically, digital taxi drivers pay a variable service fee to the ride-hailing company on each trip they complete.

It is a percentage of the trip fare that the companies take as commission. In the case of companies like Uber, the fee is now not fixed, unlike the earlier flat-rate model.

Local digital taxi drivers have previously complained of a lack of inclusion in the ride pricing decisions, heavy taxation and alleged slow response to security complaints on some of the apps, especially the foreign-owned ones.