Passengers can now pay fares through Mpesa after Matatus partner with Safaricom

Passengers can now pay fares through Mpesa

Mumbi Mutuko

March 24, 2020 10:13 AM

Commuters to pay fare via Mpesa as matatu sector fights coronavirus

Passengers can now pay fares through Mpesa

Safaricom has partnered with the public transport sector to roll out cashless payments through M-PESA.

This move comes amid calls by passengers and the government to the PSV sector to help fight to combat the spread of the Coronavirus.

Our partnership with the different public transit players brings the convenience and safety of M-PESA to this crucial sector given the widespread uptake of public transport across the country,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Safaricom's Chief Financial Services Officer.

Passenger takes photo inside a Route 111 (Ngong, Karen) matatu that complied with maximum of 60 per cent capacity to facilitate social distancing Passenger takes photo inside a Route 111 (Ngong, Karen) matatu that complied with maximum of 60 per cent capacity to facilitate social distancing against Covid-19 Pulse Live Kenya

The service has already been deployed to more than 300 City Star Shuttle vehicles in Nairobi and will be rolled out to additional players in the coming days.

Helping the PSV sector

This will help the PSV sector to further comply with the Government’s recommendations to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

Safaricom announced that it will be waiving fees for M-Pesa transactions below Ksh1,000 to deepen mobile money usage and reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

Passengers can now pay fares through Mpesa Safaricom announces another interruption of Mpesa services this weekend ece-auto-gen

“Many businesses are seeing an increase in demand to accept M-PESA payments due to the ongoing concerns around the Coronavirus and our recent move to enable Kenyans to send M-PESA transactions of Ksh1,000 and below for free," he added.

Safaricom said the 90-day waiver came into effect following a presidential directive to avoid the risk of transmission through physical handling of money.

Mumbi Mutuko