[kictanet] A true innovation?

Fri Jun 24 09:21:43 EAT 2011

Bobby,

I think the problem could be bigger than ticketing but the whole management
set up. I found www.tpg.ch to be quite efficient because of centralised
management. You pay for the  card monthly or weekly and your details are
stored in a magnetic strip card, the buses have no conductors but the
company has contracted special Police who jump into the bus at random and
will slap a hefty fine (instant justice) on anyone found in the bus without
a valid ticket or card. The buses of course also have the automatic ticket
dispensers where you drop in a coin or slot your card, considering that the
buses are managed by the county it might be a model worth studying despite
the fact that we are likely to experience resistance from those manning the
transport sector which is already a mess and reverses all the gains we make
as a nation due to the inefficiencies.

Best Regards

On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 8:28 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> Phares,
>
> I would like to disagree with you on the point of cost of the device, the
> problem with most of us technical people is that we are unable to sell the
> true benefits of a the solution we offer as we look at the solution from a
> technical point than a business point.
>
> We need to be able to sell the business solution not the technology at
> which point the US$ 2,000/- will be looked at an asset acquisition that by
> definition will improve the bottom line.  A quick one could be why not make
> the ticket larger and then sell advertising space on it, I know I get bored
> when travelling as the average trip takes at least 15 minutes.
>
> The reason that ticketing device is strong at the core of KBMC's system is
> because it delivers all we need to do to offer an upgrade that retains the
> current functionality and then moves them forward from there.
>
> I have had the opportunity to see what Kenya Business Management Company
> does with the data collected from those perceived archaic tickets dispensers
> coupled with the route records filled by the conductor at predefined
> locations and it is a marvel.
>
> Watch Kenya Bus Management Company has we phase out the 14 sitters, and it
> is a target market that any forward thinking developer should look into.
>
> City Hopper did not take on an efficient ticketing system and neither a
> route planning application because not even Thuo appreciated those metal gadgets
> in all the time he was MD of Kenya Bus.
>
> Robert Yawe
> KAY System Technologies Ltd
> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
> Kenya
>
> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com>
> *To:* robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> *Sent:* Fri, 24 June, 2011 8:10:20
> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] A true innovation?
>
> 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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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>

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