Zay ride, an e-hailing taxi services is to bring 200 brand new vehicles for the city’s taxi transportation services that would be manufactured by an Italian firm.
The vehicles will be primarily delivered to women and old blue and white taxi owners in order to encourage women to provide modern transportation in the city.
Zay ride already agreed with Abyssinia Bank to cover 70 percent of the total cost of the cars while the eligible person should pay an estimated amount of 300,000 birr, which is 30 percent of the cost in a blocked account.
“The aim is beyond doing business; rather it goes to empowering women and discharging our social responsibilities”, said Habtamu Tadesse, CEO of the company.
The new vehicles are 2019 model Fiat Egea cars and should be delivered in five months.
According to Habtamu the manufacturer significantly discounted the cars so that the price would be reasonable and provided trainings for Ethiopian Mechanics.
Habtamu also promised to deliver the vehicles on time, adding that the company will pay 1,000 birr per day in case of delay.
Zay Ride, is also expanding its services to the Liberian capital, Monrovia in collaboration with the Liberian web solutions firm Hak Technologies by the end of August that will be followed in Guinea and other west African countries.
The company is exhaustively working to expand its service in secondary cities of the country such as Gondar, Hawassa and Mekele as part of short term plan.
‘The company was the first to lunch booking via an app beside text messages or calls, makes our company unique,“ he adds.
The company was established in 2016 to provide modern technology and transportation solutions across Addis Ababa for both corporate and individual customers.
It recently added delivery services to its platform and will be adding ambulance services. It also plans to launch new products and expand its tech outsourcing team.
Currently the company has over 70,000 registered customers and over 2,000 active drivers that provide 24/7 services.
There are other companies in Addis that offer smart transportation options and modernize the city’s old and rusty blue and white cabs.