Tricycles or Keke Maruwas (as they are fondly called) have become widespread around us. And because they only cover short distances, there’s always the problem of ‘change’, where a customer pays with a higher currency and the rider doesn’t have the correct balance.
But an app is out to help you with that. Meet Kepay.
What is Kepay?
KePay is a Mobile payment solution for Tricycles or Keke Maruwas in the Nigerian market.
The app provides a ‘safe’ and efficient system for keke users to pay their fares without hassle. And on the part of the drivers, it provides a secure and convenient money collection service.
By scanning the QR code of the drivers app, users can pay for their fare and drivers immediately receive the payment. Sounds cool and innovative right?
Well, here is what I think about the app.
What I Think of the App
The first thing I noticed while on the app, was during verification. When I entered my phone number for verification, the verification code never came. Yet the app generated the code by and in itself. So what is the point of a verification process if there’s no actual verification to be done?
After registration. I was gifted N200 worth of cash coupons as reward with a promise of earning more should i invite friends.
Opening the app, the options and menu are arranged and placed in an impressive manner with navigation easy enough. There are 4 main buttons at the top that show what the app primarily does. These are; Scan to pay, Recharge, Transfer, Collection.
The scan to pay is for customers who want to pay their fares. Recharge is to recharge your Kepay account. Transfer is to send money to another Kepay account or for drivers to send money to your account. Collection displays a QR code for drivers who want to receive payments.
There are also other information and options including an invitation code, your Kepay Account details as well as other account management details.
There’s is also a side menu that provides other options as regards your Kepay account, change of password, PIN and several others.
But one other thing that caught my attention is the recharge option. This option allows users to recharge their account using ONLY KePay recharge cards. But where a user could get a KePay recharge card remains a mystery to me.
In my opinion, there should be an option to recharge my KePay account from my bank account. That way one wont have to first buy a KePay recharge card (which I don’t even know how to) and then go through the stress of entering the pin numbers to recharge my KePay account.
Additionally, the app is lightweight which is a plus. It has over 100 download so far with just 3 reviews.
From my point of view, the app itself is a good one but the solution it offers came way ahead of its time. The app works with a 2-way transaction model and with the high rate of digital illiteracy amongst Keke Maruwa drivers, this is not a viable option for payments currently.
And it’s not looking like something that would catch on soon. Unless they are looking at a ‘keke-hailing’ model for it.
You can click here to download the app on the Android Google Playstore.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
