Swvl
Swvl, LLC, stylized as SWVL, is an Egyptian bus vehicle for hire company based in Cairo, with operations in more than five countries. It operates buses along fixed routes and allows customers to reserve and pay for them using an app.[1]
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Privately held company | |
Industry | Technology Vehicle for hire |
Founded | 2017 |
Founder | Mostafa Kandil |
Headquarters | Cairo, Egypt |
Area served | Middle East, Africa and South Asia Pakistan |
Products | Mobile app |
Services | Public transport |
Website | swvl |
It was founded in April 2017 by Mostafa Kandil.[2]
History
In early 2019, it expanded its operations to Kenya.[3] The company has partnered with BRCK for free wifi in its buses.[4] In the same year, it also expanded to Nigeria.[3]
In June 2019, the company raised US$42 million for its expansion in Africa.[5]
In July 2019, it expanded its operations to Pakistan, starting with Lahore.[3] In September, it expanded its operations to Karachi, and Islamabad.[3] The company announced that it has plans to invest $25 million in Pakistan.[6]
In October 2019, they were briefly banned in Kenya along with other bus-hailing apps due to regulatory issues. The issue was resolved swiftly.[7]
References
- "Egyptian tech transport start up Swvl heads to Southeast Asia". November 22, 2018 – via www.reuters.com.
- http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/swvl
- "Egyptian firm expands further into Pakistan". DAWN.COM. September 17, 2019.
- "Startups BRCK and Swvl partner on free Wi-Fi for Kenyan ride-hail buses".
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-20/egyptian-rival-to-uber-raises-42-million-for-african-expansion
- "SWVL to invest $25m to fund in Pakistan". samaa.tv. November 3, 2019.
- Dahir, Abdi Latif. "Bus-hailing apps in Kenya are facing their first major regulatory challenge". Quartz Africa.