Craft Silicon has announced that its taxi hailing service, Little, powered by Safaricom, can now be accessed through USSD making it available to non-smartphone users.
Through the USSD taxi hailing option, a first of its kind in the world, customers will now be able to request for a ride by simply dialing *826# from their mobile phone.
According to Craft Silicon CEO Kamal Budhabhatti, the introduction of USSD will radically change the taxi hailing business by bringing on board millions of Kenyans who were previously locked out due to the fact that they do not own a smartphone.
“The idea behind Little powered by Safaricom is to provide affordable and convenient cab services to as many Kenyans as possible, and I believe we are well on our way to achieving this through the launch of the USSD service,” he added.
The Little app itself has so far been downloaded more than 23,500 times on IOS, Windows and Android stores, with over 1,400 drivers signed up.
Mr Budhabhatti added, “We are also committed to our drivers’ welfare. Since our launch, Little takes no more than 15% off drivers’ earnings compared to other players in the market who take between 18% to 25%.”
Craft Silicon has also partnered with Safaricom to reward customers with airtime worth their ride up to a maximum of 500 shillings upon completion of their first and fifth rides.
Other key distinguishing features of the solution include free Wi-Fi powered by Safaricom and Live fare which gives customers the ability to monitor their taxi charges in real time as they ride.
A first in Kenya and Africa, Little also introduced a lady friendly category, Lady Bug, with professional lady drivers to ensure women’s safety on the road.
The app also features a corporate option though which businesses can offer service as a convenient corporate taxi option for their employees.
A corporate dashboard will enable businesses track and manage employee rides down to department level, while users can easily switch between personal and corporate rides on the app.
Other features of the App include: Real-Time Driver information, Live GPS enabled maps and ability for customers to give feedback.