Vacation Kenya develops mobile app to connect car hire service providers and drivers to potential customers using their smartphone.
The car hire industry is big business in Kenya today. People are always looking to hire cars, whether for a short business trip or a road trip across the country. But the process of getting a good service at affordable price can be tedious. Fortunately, an app to help you get that rental car at the click of a button has arrived!
The app, dubbed Dingah, seeks to connect car hire providers and drivers to potential customers using their smartphone.
Developed by Vacation Kenya, Dingah allows users to spontaneously rent cars with their mobile phones rather than making reservations in advance from their desktops or car-rental services.
According to Steven Omollo, the apps founder and CEO of Vacation Kenya, there are a number of car rental service companies. However, most of them do not address the issue of convenience and variety.
“People are looking for services they can access on the go. They also want a platform they can compare different cars from different providers and cost,” he says.
Dingah allows rental companies or individual car owners to sign up. The process involves vetting of the cars. Those that meet the criteria, the owners are then allowed to upload all the necessary documents and images.
Dingah App login interface
Users looking to hire the vehicles can browse through the app, selecting the vehicles of their own choice.
In addition, they also select the delivery point and where they would wish drop the car once their lease period was over.
Charges, Omollo says, are not fixed. However, the cost is determined by the car owners and those hiring out the cars.
“The app allows the two parties to reach an agreement based on their preferred price.”
The app gives users a choice between hiring the vehicles on self-drive basis or chauffeur driven. The application offers the driver in a minute service that operates under a GPS platform. The company charges KSh40 per kilometre.
Those preferring chauffeur driven services can hail a driver to take them to their destination. “The driver, arrives at your home, dressed professionally, ready to drive you in your vehicle where you want to go. When ready the driver will drive you and your car back home safely.”
This service is chargeable per kilometre and reflects on the application on both the client and the driver’s phone. Omollo says the firm vets drivers and only after a successful vetting that drivers are placed in either chauffeurs or driver in a minute. He adds that all chauffeurs have ID cards that you can scan through the app for security purposes.
To further expand its scope, Omollo says Dingah is also offering car hire services for trucks for those moving homes, heavy machinery for construction, tractors for tilling land as well as helicopter rides. This he says helps distinguish Dingah from other ride hailing apps such as Uber, Mondo ride among others.
“Dingah is designed to allow customers request quotes from a transport provider. If the two agree on the service, the user selects the pickup and destination of his product.” Dingah is available for download on android devices.
The market growth in the car hire business, which is driven by domestic demand, has also been helped by the increased number of tourists arriving in the country.
“Using technology has been proved to make the whole process safe, quick, reliable, and easy for consumers. Further, the hassle-free process of online car hiring or bookings increases convenience.”
According to Grand View Research, the global car rental industry has been experiencing a transformation in the last few years. Operators, have undergone a series of changes in their business models to stay relative, competitive and enhance profitability.
According to Omollo, the influence technology has on the industry has driven the transformation of the car rental services.
Omollo says the growing trend of using the Internet for customizing travel trips and online reservations and bookings is anticipated to propel the use of technology in the industry.
In conclusion, he says plan is underway to launch and introduce the service and app throughout the country.
