For yellow line taxi junkies, it’s a bumpy ride

James Mwaura has lived most of his adult life operating a taxi in Nairobi.

He turned 85 last weekend and still drives the trusty Toyota Corolla, manufactured in 1973, that launched him into the business.

Mwaura imported the vehicle 45 years ago, got his KRF plates and hit the road.

Back then in 1976, the taxi business was booming, and in a few years, Mwaura earned enough to put up residential houses and set up a retail shop.

Vintage machine

Yet, to date he operates the ageing machine in the city’s central business district. And at night, the old man from Nyeri turns the car into a makeshift bedroom.

The love Mwaura has for his vehicle shows; it could easily pass for a vintage machine. But despite the many offers he has received for it, he does not plan to sell the car.

Neither does Mwaura plan to listen to calls from his family to retire. For him, it is a case of ‘till death do us part’ with his car.

But his journey is not an easy one these days. In the 40-plus years that he has been a taxi driver, he has faced numerous challenges, with the latest one being the popularity of taxi hailing apps and new business models in the industry.

“Back in the 80s and the early 90s, the taxi business was really booming in Nairobi CBD. The city was alive with night entertainment. I was on full-time hire, both day and night, with my clients being Congolese artistes and other prominent personalities who used to frequent Simmers and other popular joints,” recalls Mwaura.

“That is how I learnt to carry a blanket with me as my car turned into my house and I would catch a nap in between the 24-hour working schedule.”

It was a golden era. Business was so good that Mwaura left the Kenatco Taxi company in the 80s to start his solo venture. Back then, the few taxis that were in town were in demand, and he would make an average of Sh4,000 a day, income that allowed him to make investments he calls his retirement package.

“I neither plan to leave the business nor the city any time soon. I could be getting one client or none in a day but it does not matter anymore .... This gives me something to wake up to and be happy about. If I retire and go back home, I think I will just die of stress,” he says.

Mwaura is just one of hundreds of sector players whose investments and entire lifestyles have been upended by technology, as well as the changing face of Nairobi city.

With most entertainment spots in the city shutting their doors as a new generation of revellers opts for more trendy options, taxi drivers, club bouncers, bands and twilight girls find themselves swimming against the tide of evolution.

Maina wa Muthoni, another taxi driver, also remembers the good old days.

“From Simmers to Modern Green, Florida Night Club, Eureka Day and Night Club among others, nightlife in Nairobi used to be vibrant and clients were many. Out of this demand, we’d charge good rates depending on how we negotiated with individual clients as there were no standard rates. I recall that I could charge as much as Sh2,500 for a client going to as near as South B in 2008. Right now, using an app to get a cab to these locations will cost one about Sh300, a figure that tells you how bad things have become in this old trade,” says Maina.

However, he still has clients who rely on his services, most of whom have scheduled appointments with him and pay him as their personal driver at the end of the month.

No traces

“There is a class of people who are not into digital taxis because they are private and don’t want to leave any traces behind of their movements. Some of them are prominent people who want to keep their meetings secret,”  says Maina, noting that he provides credit services to his clients when they have no cash to pay, something digital taxis don’t provide.    

For many living in Nairobi, taxi transport services have evolved into something easily accessible, reliable and cheaper than in the past. It has also boosted safety, dealing with an issue that taxis of old had struggled with. And with a taxi just a finger tap away for anyone with a smartphone, the new tech-driven model is running away with the business older drivers relied on.

However, this change of gear has not been singularly destructive. Some taxi operators are finding ways to work around digital models. For instance, pioneer taxi firm Kenatco has upgraded and adopted modern models in its business approach.

The 300-fleet company has diversified its services to include full-day car hire services and inter-county cargo services.

“It is true that most of those old drivers have a challenge because they are technologically challenged and their vehicles are also too old to be registered with those companies,” says Philip Muchiri, a veteran taxi driver who has had to adapt to the new system to remain relevant.

“Very few customers are willing to pick a taxi on the roadside these days, and with business having gone digital, it is a matter of time before that old lot calls it a day in this business”