demotix.com
Dubbed the “Dereva Chonjo Road Safety Initiative”, the project is targeted at public vehicles responsible for most accidents in Kenya.
Speaking at the launch of the project, Airtel Kenya Managing Director Shivan Bhargava said: “This initiative will help to reduce road accidents on Kenyan roads whose significant direct cost in lives lost, social and economic implications cannot be ignored.”
“We are pleased and that this new product and partnership will contribute to the much needed preservation of lives by reducing the speeds and improving the safety of passengers in the vehicles, thereby reducing the risk of road accidents that threaten the lives of the thousands of Kenyan commuters including children using the roads on a daily basis.”
Through the gadgets, fleet managers will receive SMS notifications if the vehicles overspeed or divert from designated routes, as well as a real-time geo-tracking capability to allow pinpointing of the vehicle’s whereabouts. One public service transport provider 2NK SACCO has already installed the gadget in some of its vehicles.
“ICT is the way to go in business today and we want to do this to further enforce compliance to traffic rules rather than evasion,” Bhargava added.
Airtel will provide handsets to the SACCO members that will allow them to make unlimited calls to other members through a closed user group, as well as Internet access in a monthly payment agreement.
Airtel Money will also be used in the payment of fares directly to the vehicle owners thus reducing the risks that come with handling cash.
