[kictanet] A true innovation?

[Phares Kariuki]

Speaking from personal experience, the problem with the ticketing machines
is one of management on the part of the bus company owners... There have
been attempts to get rugged ticketing devices (the sort that farmers choice
etc use when on the road) but they are not keen on them... One rugged device
is around 2,000 USD. For 10 of them, you would need to invest in what would
otherwise be a down-payment for a bus... Additionally the additional cost
with regards to human resource and other ICT infrastructure is not
considered worth it, by the bus companies... It's an unfortunate situation,
given the obvious benefits a tech based system would have. The sad thing is
all 3 major bus companies have basically reached a stagnation point with
regards to operational efficiency and have barely increased their fleetsize
in the last five years (proof is the fact that new bus companies, City
Shuttle et al are coming into the space).

On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 12:58 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>wrote:

>  Hi Listers,
>
> A few days ago an was in a Kenya Bus and got a deja vu moment as I looked
> at the conductor standing in front of  me dispensing his ticket.
>
>
> http://quadrantshift.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kbs-ticket-machine.jpg
> .
>
> The moment tool me back to 1978 and I a sitting in a number 29 bus coming
> from Eastleigh, where I went to school (now you can understand my lack
> of etiquette at times) to Buru Buru where we lived.
>
> To date the machine remains the same with what seems to be a very basic
> activity, dispensing tickets.  Which would explain why it remains the same
> no fancy additions or features, but what many of you might not know is that
> it seats at the heart of a very elaborate system.
>
> This easily overlooked device gives Kenya Bus Management Company the wealth
> of information that keeps them ahead of the pack and kept them operational
> event after all the groups of raiders who have owned the company over the
> past 20 or so years, lose of their garage in Eastleigh, lose of the
> monopoly in Nairobi and Mombasa, lose of the sole use of the Bus Terminal in
> Nairobi.
>
> Now that little gadget that we all take for granted as we start new
> transport organisations is what has kept them going.  There is a product
> ready to be transitioned to the 21st century if only we stopped looking for
> opportunities for innovation in all the wrong places.
>
> A true innovation.
>
> Regards
>
> PS.  I am a sower, I leave harvesting to others.
>
> Robert Yawe
> KAY System Technologies Ltd
> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
> Kenya
>
> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>
>
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-- 
With Regards,

Phares Kariuki

| T: +254 720 406 093 | E: pkariuki at gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype:
kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ |
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