SMS-Based Location & Directory Service TuAsk Hits 5000 Calls Hours After Launch

Getting directions around the city is not as easy, especially for tourists and visitors coming from other towns. It’s even worse for those who have no smartphones to turn on maps while asking on the streets is the last thing you want to do especially if you have anything valuable in your bag or pockets.

However, a new SMS app dubbed “TuAsk” has been launched to offer users with directory information on hotel & accommodation, restaurants and food courts, courier and post services, travel, shopping, night out, medical services, automobiles and help lines through a telephone call.

Launched by Kenya’s Rapid Communications Limited, a telco solutions provider, TuAsk aims to help those who are new in town to get access to information like, nearest hospital, chemist shop, travel, hotel and others through their Safaricom lines by just calling 0900620126 on the Safaricom network.

After one makes a call, it’s directed to a customer service center where all details of the inquiry will be recorded. The caller will need to specify the service they are looking for and nearest location; within 30 seconds after disconnecting the call, the information they need will be sent to their mobile through SMS. However, the call will cost Ksh. 10/- per minute.

According to Rapid Communication C.E.O Mr. Anwar Majid Hussein, “In a growing economy like Kenya which is working towards achieving Vision 2030, importance of timely information cannot be over emphasized, especially if this information is in response to our daily needs.”

Aimed at saving the public time and traffic by providing them with information they need,  Rapid Communications says it developed TuAsk to give users directory information on their mobile phones so they never need to worry on getting lost or stranded, information is just a call away.

A visitor who has just arrived in town may need information on hotel or restaurant. All they need to do is call ‘TuAsk’ and make their inquiry and 30 seconds later, they will receive address, contact number and average charges within the area he or she wants to stay. Businesses wishing to list their addresses and services on TuAsk can do so for free by calling 0900620126 and giving their information.

Offered both in English and Swahili 8AM – 8PM 7 days a week through a customer care center, the active service has already received close to five thousand calls from customers looking for directions to restaurants, hospitals, and government facilities.