NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 2 – Uber riders without bank accounts will now be paid using M-Pesa through a new partnership with Safaricom.
In the deal, UberEats delivery guys will be paid through the mobile money platform, with customers also paying using it.
The tech company says that the new partnership will help about 20 percent of riders on the platform who are unbanked.
“Through the integration of M-PESA for trip payments, we are excited to bring the ease and convenience of mobile money to riders on our platform,” said Imran Manji, Head of East Africa, Uber.
“We are pleased to have found a partner in Safaricom in order to take this significant step towards enhancing financial inclusion in the country.”
M-Pesa now dominates Kenya’s payment platform, with most individuals using it and businesses accepting payments through mobile money.
In the last financial year, for instance, the telecommunications firm processed 6.4 billion payments through M-Pesa.
“This partnership with Uber will enable us to provide thousands of drivers and delivery people alongside millions of customers with a fully digital solution with faster, secure, affordable, and convenient payments through M-PESA,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa added.
