This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
On October 1st, 2019, Little, a prominent shuttle and taxi hailing service in Kenya, unexpectedly ceased its operations across the country.
The decision was made in response to an alleged directive from authorities, which the company claims was not communicated clearly.
"I would like to share some sad news with all of you. Few days before we got a communication from the authorities that we are not allowed to hail a shuttle on Little. The shuttles we hail are from our partners who are properly licensed, but we were told that it is not the right kind of license," said Kamal Budhabatti, CEO of Little.
Little had acquired the necessary licenses for its shuttle operations and had partnered with several licensed shuttle owners to provide a convenient and efficient service to commuters.
The company's shuttle service, which was launched in June 2016, offered a range of features including wireless internet connection and power charging devices.
"We run point to point shuttle services on our Little App. We have thousands of Shuttle riders who ride on our platform every single day, many of them several times a day. I have met many of them personally. Most of them have been very happy with the service. Its efficient, it can be tracked, It's on time, it's clean and safe and off all, it's not chaotic," said Budhabatti.
He expressed frustration at the sudden closure and called for a structured engagement with relevant authorities to revolutionize the transport industry using technology.
