CASHLESS PAYMENTS (NFC) technology whereby a passenger pays by tapping their card on a card reader (validator) in the vehicle (Kimani, 2018). The app can help to track passengers while allowing SACCOs and vehicle owners to know how many passengers have used a vehicle on any given day, providing an estimate of daily earnings. The O-CITY is another automated contactless platform which uses the M-Pesa mobile wallet for fare collection on buses in Nairobi (Intelligent Transport, 2020). It is an initiative of the transport savings and credit specialist NikoDigi Ltd and Kenyan payments firm Tracom Services Ltd. Passengers enter a code on their phone and a debit is made from their wallet. Payment confirmation to the driver is instant, so reducing validation delays. If the different innovations are rolled out and effectively coordinated, they can greatly reduce the need for cash fare payments in PSVs, the risk of contact between passengers and conductors, and help stop the spread of Covid-19. However, the sheer number could lead to costly competition and, if those costs were transferred to users, it could discourage the use of cashless modes.
Figure A: Citi Hoppa Bus Pass information displayed off-board and on-board
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