This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
On the back of a recent surge in new PSV 14 Seater matatus joining the SWVL fleet, the company has introduced a new long distance route from Nairobi to Nakuru. The route, which is part of the Little Shuttle Longhaul initiative, will operate from Afya Centre in Nairobi to Prestige Mall in Nakuru.
The route will have five shuttles per day, with the first one departing at 8:30am and the last one at 4:00pm. Unlike Little Shuttle, there are no pickup/drop off points past Kinoo, and passengers will need to inform their drivers of any additional stops.
Interestingly, the new long distance route is essentially the same as the Prestige Shuttles that can be found at Afya Centre, but with the added convenience of booking through the SWVL app. The company is currently offering a promo code that gives customers up to 60% off, bringing the price down to KES. 400.
However, this price point is not significantly different from the introductory price of Little Longhaul, which offered free rides on weekends. It remains to be seen whether SWVL will be able to compete with traditional transport options and whether their prices will be more competitive in the long run.
It's worth noting that SWVL has yet to introduce dynamic pricing, which they promised a while back. The app still claims to be charging KES. 200 per trip in their short distance Nairobi routes, although promo codes are often sent out to make the rides either free or KES. 50.
Published on December 8, 2019
