SWVL, an Egyptian mobility company present in Egypt and Kenya has announced a partnership agreement with Ford that will see the Ford Transit minibus as the preferred vehicle of choice on SWVL’s routes in Egypt.
As the firm gears to launch in Lagos, Nigeria, the two firms will enable commuters in Egypt’s major cities to enjoy an affordable, convenient, safe and reliable alternative to existing transportation services.
SWVL which competes Little Shuttle in Kenya has struggled to penetrate the market due to cost and accessibility. But with more shuttles in the market things might change. SWVL also partnered with Nasser Social Bank and EFG Hermes Bank to offer competitive lending rates to operators looking to adopt the Ford Transit bus as their vehicle of choice.
“We are thrilled to bring Ford Transit to Egypt, debuting in such a prominent and important role through this partnership with SWVL,” said Achraf El Boustani, Managing Director of Ford North Africa. “The key to Ford Transit’s success as a mobility platform is its reputation for dependability, versatility and capability, and we’re confident that SWVL operators here will soon learn just why thousands of people around the world rely on the Ford Transit to get the job done.”
Moustafa Kandil, SWVL’s CEO said: “SWVL was created to help improve people’s lives by revolutionizing the transport scene in Egypt with a smart solution that helps ease the commute. We’re proud of the results we’ve achieved in such a short period of time, and the work that Ford has put in to help elevate the levels of service we offer our customers.”
Ford and its local distributor, Auto Jameel will work with SWVL and the Egyptian government to provide the best value equation for the Transit buses that would join the on-demand bus service. SWVL captains will also receive financing facilities through Nasser Social Bank and EFG Hermes Bank and after-sales support and maintenance services through Auto Jameel’s network and Ford-trained technicians.
The Ford Transit – available in 15 and 18-seat configurations – has a proven track record with micro-transit solutions globally, and the first consignment has already arrived in Egypt, ready to take on the roads.
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SWVL was founded in 2017 and currently operates in Cairo and Alexandria. Commuters use SWVL’s mobile app to book fixed rate, affordable rides on the company’s existing routes – with tens of thousands bookings a day at present. It’s envisaged that this number will rise rapidly over the coming few months with the arrival of the new Transit bus.
Currently, SWVL is looking for a country General Manager – Nigeria responsible for the development and growth of SWVL’s business in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.
The GM of SWVL’s Nigerian operation will be instrumental in roll out of SWVL in Lagos, Nigeria then expand it across the country as well as recruit local talent, provide customer support, do local marketing, supply chain management, service quality management, social media, PR and work with local policy makers to solve local mobility problems.
Apart from recruiting driver partners or captains, the GM will also initiate creative local marketing strategies and user growth campaigns, manage local regulatory concerns and local politics, communicate product/process needs to HQ, work with product/engineering to deliver on them, help scale other cities through developing and sharing best practices, continue to grow revenues and ridership and manage SWVL Nigeria accounting, finance, compliance, payroll, time & attendance, operations support, procurement, and other administrative functions.
