SWVL Kenya is now ready to resume operations in the country after settling its long-running regulatory tussle with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the company said today.
The NTSA says it now has “no objection to SWVL providing digital vehicle hailing services.”
Despite the green light, the company has currently paused its operations and will resume once the current temporary lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
With the new approval, the company, however, will now onboarding existing bus owners and public transport SACCOs. The new inclusive approach will help benefit the entire ecosystem, the company said.
“We are pleased that we have resolved all issues with the NTSA, and that’s extremely important for us. Once we exit the lockdown, we will be able to steadily bring back our operations and we can now show our corporate customers that we have met all the regulatory requirements”, said Mr. Dip Patel, the General Manager for SWVL in Kenya.
The NTSA is also committing to lay down a framework for regulating technology platforms in the transport industry to avoid a similar compliance dilemma in the future.
“We have continued to engage with the NTSA to arrive at a framework that will support technology enabled transport solutions and take Kenya to the next level. We are excited to be able to continue our operations, and we are very pleased about the consideration of the regulatory framework to incorporate technological developments coming up in the industry”, added Patel.
SWVL Kenya also says that its corporate-focused rides will still be going on during the pandemic, and they will continue partnering with more corporates, to provide rides for their employees by adhering to the government directives in dealing with the new normal.
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