GET FAMILIAR WITH ‘AN NISA’, AN ONLINE TAXI-HAILING SERVICE IN KENYA RUN BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ONLY

An Nisais an online taxi-hailing service in Kenya run by women that serves female passengers and young children only.

An Nisa was founded by Mehnaz Sarwar and she inspired by how she and many women who used cabs in Nairobi were uncomfortable getting into vehicles with unfamiliar men. She said:

“I was always uncomfortable being in a car with someone I didn’t know, especially if it was a male. So I was always in search of a female driver. I realized that a lot of ladies are still in that position.”

Mehnaz started An Nisa to cater to women not just as passengers, but also behind the wheel. Susan Cherotich, one of over 50 female drivers who has signed up on the platform, says it is different from other platforms she has worked for:

“It is long overdue. Now that we have our own app, we run it and especially for us, it is more empowering.”

And it is, because An Nisa only takes a 10% commission, compared to the 15% to 25% taken by other platforms like Uber and Taxify.

Susan adds:

“Now that the commissions are lower, we’ll be able to earn a bit more. And because most of the riders are ladies, should they all embrace this app, we’ll be able to earn more out of it.”