This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
September 17, 2019, marked a significant milestone for Little Cab, a Kenyan e-hailing taxi firm, as it expanded its booking options to include WhatsApp.
With the increasing competition in the ride-hailing industry, Little Cab has been innovating to stay ahead. Following its launch in 2016, the Craft Silicon taxi-hailing service introduced a USSD code, enabling customers to dial 826# from their mobile phone to hail a cab.
Recently, the company launched Little Longhaul, a shuttle service from Nairobi to Naivasha and Nakuru, targeting PSV services. This move was aimed at increasing its market share in the competitive ride-hailing industry.
Kenyan, Ugandan, and Zambian taxi users can now book rides from their WhatsApp by sending their location to a WhatsApp number in an automated process. The system will scan for vehicles within the rider's periphery and share the details of the vehicle and driver's contact through the messaging platform.
According to Craft Silicon founder Kamal Budhabhatti, users only need to save the number 777000777 and share their location through WhatsApp. Once this happens, they will automatically be connected to a driver near them. At the end of the trip, a customer will receive a message telling them how much they need to pay for the trip.
This latest move from Little Cab comes as other ride-hailing firms continue to aggressively market in various ways. For instance, Uber introduced a customer service number through which riders can call to book trips.
Booking a Little Cab via WhatsApp is a straightforward process. Users can add +254 777 000 777 to their contact list, name it as Little, send their location to the saved number using WhatsApp, and a driver will automatically be connected to them. Additionally, users get a discount on their ride when they order a Little via WhatsApp.
For those who prefer a visual guide, Little Cab has provided a video that walks users through the simple steps it takes to hail a cab via WhatsApp.
