Easy Coach bus terminus in Nairobi.
| Francis Nderitu | Nation Media GroupBusiness
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How Easy Coach is riding the storm
To last nearly two decades in the often-chaotic Kenyan public transport market, Easy Coach has had to devise winning strategies and evolve a unique business model.
The bus company that started operations across East Africa in 2003 has continued to grow, filling up the many gaps left after bus companies of yesteryears were wound up.
Its customer focus and uncompromising attitude to quality and passenger safety has seen its loyal customers increase at a time others have been divesting from the sector.
The Nation last week visited the company’s headquarters in Nairobi to observe how it conducts its business. And right from the ambience of the station, one can tell this is not any other matatu operator.
The station is very different from the bedlam associated with matatu termini across the country, with rogue crew and thugs harassing would-be travellers. Instead, the station has a spacious waiting area where passengers relax after booking buses to various destinations in the East African region.
Some of the staff told the Nation Easy Coach has stayed on top of the game by embracing technology, strictly observing time and traffic laws, as well as reliance on data to guide operations.
“For instance, when night travel was banned, our first job was to study the change in travel patterns among our clients. We realised that traffic starts flowing from Thursday morning from Nairobi to various destinations across the country, and Sunday morning back to Nairobi. With this pattern in mind, you deploy your fleet from a point of information and this helps you serve your clients satisfactorily,” said a manager at the station.
The company has also adopted a strict cost-accounting model to inform pricing of tickets and the number of vehicles to deploy for certain routes.
This eliminates guesswork, ensuring the firm does not fly blind.
Many have, for instance, wondered why Easy Coach buses travel many times with few clients on board.
Easy Coach bus terminus in Nairobi.
“Many people consider fuel costs only when making decisions and that is where they go wrong. There is fuel, the driver, administrative expenses and wear and tear to consider.
When you factor all these, you get to know whether you are operating at a profit or at a loss,” the manager said, adding that the company’s buses are fitted with general packet radio service (GPRS) gadgets and other tech features to ensure fleet and passenger safety.
The company has long figured out the number of passengers needed on every route to break even, and the threshold of passengers each bus must have to operate profitably.
This, managers said, guides them in making decisions such as merging operations for routes near each other to cut costs.
Most of these decisions are made after studying trends in online bookings.
Easy Coach bus terminus in Nairobi.
But the company says it is the trust it has earned from Kenyans by offering great services and being consistently a cut above the rest that have made it a market leader.
Many matatu crews pay idlers at terminuses to pose as passengers inside vehicles so as to create the impression of near-departure and lure more travellers. Easy Coach buses, however, don’t brook such tricks, and each bus must leave at the scheduled time, whether it is full or not.
The company also buys fuel in bulk and has in-house mechanics to conduct vehicle inspections and repairs as cost-cutting measures. It also has a policy of not bribing the police or any other authorities.
“What we do is just comply with what the government wants. We always enquire about what’s new and implement it. That way, we don’t pay bribes and police officers rarely stop us,” the official said.
Their drivers have to be counselled and tested before beginning any journey to ascertain they are not drunk. They are also provided with places to sleep to ensure they get enough rest.
This story is part of a series examining the crisis in Kenya's transport sector, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Also read:
