Safeboda has decided to suspend services in Kenya after citing they cannot survive in Kenyan environment.
You would think that SafeBoda would be booming right now in the current circumstances where everyone has been relying on deliveries especially after corona. Companies like bolt and glovo have been expanding to other countries but unfortunately for safe boda at a time when they are meant to be thriving it seems complaints from their clients have overwhelmed the startup.
Many customers have complained that the riders are incompetent and even insist on negotiating the price after making deliveries. Others have complained that the rides are usually rude and sometimes refuse to pick calls when delivering items. SafeBoda issued a statement saying that Kenya is no longer the environment they can thrive in.
The official announcement reads:
SafeBoda has made a very difficult decision to pause Rides and Send services from the 27th of November 2020. From now until then, we will be promoting our drivers and this will be a chance for customers to use their remaining wallet balances to take rides and send packages.
It makes sense because when the riders are unhappy they happen to end up removing their aggression on their clients when it’s never the clients fault. The riders would complain about the discounts that SafeBoda wold have, they would slash amounts and give discounts for as high as 40%.
SafeBoda rider said:
“Normally a trip from Westlands to Kilimani is around KES 150-200 but the app has been charging the customers between KES 80-100,” says a Safeboda rider in Westlands. Other taxi-hailing apps such as Uber and Bolt (formerly Taxify) are charging between KES 190- 250 for the same route.”
It seems eventually it was a sinking ship as the riders were always complaining, the clients were probably not using their services and the company was probably making losses, however SafeBoda will be working to expand in Uganda and Nigeria.