Africa Business Communities
[Ethiopia] Kifiya Financial Technologies returns sanity to public transport with e ticketing system

[Ethiopia] Kifiya Financial Technologies returns sanity to public transport with e ticketing system

Kifiya Financial Technologies PLC  a local start up has come up with an electronic ticketing and payment system meant to tame the congestion of long distance bus transport and respond to sanity in the roads.

Launching the new system, Munir Duri, CEO of Kifiya Financial Technologies said the new ticketing system will resolve the inconveniences, uncertainties and time consuming practices travelers face buying a ticket across the bus stations in the capital. 

The new ticketing and payment scheme will enable some 11,000 daily travelers to have an advance ticket from five major bus stations and from multiple agents of Kifiya. The system is to be deployed in days’ time with some 1,500 busses. So far 21 bus associations have joined forces.

Berhane Araya, chairman of the bus associations said that the irregularities long sustained in the long distance travel business will enjoy the relief that the new online system is about to introduce. For long, the reputation of long distance travel business has severely been tarnished due to inconvinencices created at the terminals, he said.

Kassahun Hailemariam, director of the Federal Transport Authority, said that the new system seeks to modernize the transportation sector with reduced hurdles and inconveniences. Thus, travelers have the option to either buy tickets weeks before travel schedules or buy upfront.

Despite the benefits the e-ticketing scheme is said bring about, the conventional ticketing sales agents worry that they may likely be out of jobs. Some ticket sellers claim they have never been familiar with the implementation of e-ticketing. Yet, both Kassahun and Munir downplayed the claims. They have stated that trainings for ticketing operators have been conducted. According to Munir, some 100 individuals have so far been familiarized with automated ticketing.

Kifiya Financial Technologies, which appears to be one of the recognized fin-tech startups in Africa, is gaining momentum in the sector. The Nairobi-based Financial Services Deeping (FSD) Africa, a program that manages some 30 million euros, mostly funded by the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), is contemplating supporting Kifiya activities.

FSD Africa aims to reduce poverty across sub-Saharan Africa by building financial markets that are efficient, robust and inclusive. The program is mandated to work across sub-Saharan Africa on issues that relate to financial inclusion and finance for growth.

Much credited for the introduction of automated billing systems, Kifiya is also criticized for recurrent failures in the services it has deployed in the country. One good example could be the system that has been employed to collect fines against traffic rule violations.

It has seen irregularities where the system has considerably created inconveniences. Munir said that the system has been facing some challenges but problems were resolved swiftly. He also said that a start-up company, which is tasked to overhaul manual systems, needs to be supported.

It is to be recalled that water, electric power and telephone billing services have been automated and powered by Kifiya. In addition, Kifiya has recently started mobile-based cash transfer aiming to assist the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) by bringing millions of rural communities on board.

www.kifiya.com

 

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