@Toyota: Investment into Data Integrated – a digital platformer for public transport sector in Kenya- Promoting a digitalization of public transport in Africa –

Toyota Tsusho Corporation (“Toyota Tsusho”) and its group company CFAO SAS (“CFAO”) have invested through Mobility 54 Investment SAS (“Mobility54”) – established in October 2019 as a group joint venture between Toyota Tsusho and CFAO – into Data Integrated Limited (“DIL”), a company providing a transporter management system in Kenya.

In Kenya, the traditional transport system which heavily relies on mini-buses called “Matatu” is allowing people to commute every day. Typically, in Nairobi, around 50% of commuters are relying on Matatu for their daily transport. This business has a rather traditional organization: each bus owner, belonging to a cooperative, operates as an individual business by hiring the driver and the conductor by him/herself.

Due to this fragmented operative structure, transport information is not integrated, which prevents passengers from having visibility over which bus to take and the time they will arrive at their destination. Furthermore, the structure by which the fares are collected and controlled by drivers and conductors by cash on the ground doesn’t incentivize the bus owners to improve the service and operation quality, which results in low passenger satisfaction and unsafe vehicle condition.

DIL is a Kenyan start up with a young incredible team that develops and provides as of today around 3,000 bus operators under 40 Matatu cooperatives with bus management system and digital ticketing system. Their DNA to stand on the ground and to listen to operators’ voices enabled them to integrate bus operator information and passenger information into their product. In doing so, DIL is contributing to a better public transport service in Kenya.

Adding on it, Kenya Transport Authority will impose the cashless payment in the public transport sector as a preventive measure against Covid-19 pandemic. Under such circumstances, DIL launched its cashless payment system approved by the Authority as well as a passenger application for bus searching, booking and payment, which fully leverages its operators’ network in order to further contribute to hygienic public bus services together with the government.

Toyota Tsusho has been engaged in mobility businesses in Africa mainly from hardware perspective, such as vehicle and after service supply. The investment into DIL today is strategically positioned to accelerate the MaaS/CASE businesses from software perspective. We are fully committed to solve social challenges in the mobility sector in Africa by bringing complementary knowledge from both hardware and software point of view.

“Matatu” Major commuting transport in Kenya	“Matatu” terminal and passengers.