30/10/2024 - Uber Teams Up With Safaricom To Provide Free Data For Drivers And Riders In Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya, 30 October 2024: Kenyans will now have free access to the Uber app following a partnership between Uber and Safaricom to provide free mobile data to app users to enable easier downloads and usage. 

Safaricom has zero-rated the app to enable free use by drivers and delivery partners on the Uber and Uber Eats apps as well as riders, with Uber covering the cost. The partnership also enables consumers and merchants on the Uber Eats platform across the country to access free data while using the Uber Eats app.

According to an Uber survey, one of the barriers for consumers accessing mobility products such as Uber Boda is the lack of sufficient access to mobile data. 

“As a global company that operates locally, it is important to us to understand local nuances of the market we live and operate in. Through this partnership with Safaricom, we can help bridge the gap in accessing data for many Kenyans, by which they will be able to access reliable and safe mobility. For drivers, this represents savings as they will not need to spend money on mobile data while driving on the Uber app,” remarked Imran Manji, Head of East Africa, Uber. 

While Kenya has made great and commendable strides in internet penetration, a digital divide still exists, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. According to the Kenya National Digital Masterplan 2022-2032, deepening ICT access is essential for the acceleration of economic growth. Uber’s partnership with Safaricom to provide free data for Kenyans, particularly the youth for whom internet access is a challenge, is expected to enhance access to reliable, affordable, and safer mobility options.

“This partnership is part of our goal to provide our customers with innovative solutions that allow them to access vital services even when they do not have data bundles or airtime through collaboration with organisations such as Uber to extend free access of their services to customers,” said Peter Ndegwa, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom PLC.

To access the free data, one needs to ensure that any VPN blockers are turned off on their phones. Before accessing the free data, drivers and riders are advised to turn Airplane Mode on and off on their phones. 

Since Uber launched in Kenya close to ten years ago, the company has introduced over nine products ranging from Uber Electric Boda and Uber Boda to Uber Reserve and Uber Comfort which was launched earlier this year. These products are designed to become a part of consumers’ ecosystem for daily life and mobility. 

About Uber

Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 1 billion trips later across Africa, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities by changing how people, food, and things move through cities. 

Uber is available in over 60 cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Joburg, Pretoria, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), East London, Polokwane, Cape West Coast, Worcester, Emalahleni / Middelburg, Garden Route, Rustenburg, Potchefstroom, Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit), Newcastle, Mthatha, Thohoyandou, Upington, Margate, Richards Bay, Welkom, Phuthaditjhaba, Erme lo, Queenstown), Kenya ( Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Eldoret, Naivasha), Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Warri, Enugu, Uyo, Kano, Owerri and Akure), Uganda (Kampala), Ghana (Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Takoradi, Tamale and Sunyani) and Ivory Coast (Abidjan). Overall, the Uber network is available in over 10,000 cities in over 65 countries. To request a ride, users must download the free application for Android, iPhone, Blackberry 7, or register for Uber at www.uber.com/go. 

About Safaricom 

Safaricom is the leading telecommunication company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities and people to information. We keep over 45.9 million customers connected and play a critical role in the society, supporting over 1.1 million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 542 billion ($ 4.2 billion) for the 12 months through March 2023.

Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues of close to KES 335.4 billion as at March 2024. Safaricom provides connectivity through wide range of technology, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in aggregate covering over 99% of Kenya’s population.

We run the world’s largest mobile payment system and Africa’s largest Fintech, M-PESA, the world’s first mobile money transfer system. By empowering over 32.1 million customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phone, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion in Kenya to 83.7% in 2021 of the adult population from a low of 26.7% in 2006 and generated over KES 139.9 Billion in revenue as at FY24.

Our subsidiary, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, has deployed world-class network and services to contribute to Ethiopia’s digital transformation.

Safaricom is an equal opportunity employer, actively recruiting staff from different backgrounds reflecting the communities that we serve. We are committed to equal gender representation at all levels. Our target is to achieve 50:50 senior management gender parity by 2025. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to work towards improving energy and resource efficiency in our network and facilities to reduce carbon emissions and our fuel consumption. We remain committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon-emitting company by 2050.

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