Kenyan mobility startup, G-rani, is positioning itself as a cost-sharing alternative to ride-hailing and public transport by digitising the informal carpooling networks that already underpin commuting patterns in Nairobi.
The platform enables drivers with spare seats to coordinate trips with riders travelling similar routes, creating a marketplace built around shared commuting rather than commercial ride services. The company says about 7,000 users have registered since launch, with roughly 25 per cent actively using the platform.
The idea for G-rani emerged in 2023 when co-founder and chief executive Eric Mutui observed the inefficiency of largely underutilised private vehicles during peak commuting hours.
“I saw many people driving by, and I thought this was a waste of resources when you have so many cars on the road with either one or two occupants,” Mutui says. “From that day, I began designing the app on paper.”
Co-founder and chief marketing officer Linnet Kitonga notes that the platform builds on an existing behavioural pattern. As urban expansion pushes workers farther from employment centres, informal carpooling arrangements among neighbours and colleagues have become increasingly common across Kenya’s cities.
Building a structured carpooling marketplace
G-rani operates as a two-sided platform connecting drivers and riders along overlapping routes.
Drivers list trip details, including origin, destination, departure time, and seat availability, while the system recommends fares based on distance and seat count. Each driver can register up to three vehicles and retains flexibility to adjust suggested pricing.
Riders search for matching trips by entering their travel parameters, after which they can reserve seats and coordinate with drivers through phone calls, SMS, or in-app messaging. Payments are completed at trip end using a preferred method, with the company emphasising fare transparency.
A cost-sharing model rather than gig work
Central to G-rani’s positioning is its deliberate departure from gig-economy mobility models. The startup does not charge drivers commission and frames fares as contributions towards fuel and operating costs rather than income.
Revenue instead comes from a token-based access system. Users purchase tokens priced at KES 25, with consumption linked to travel distance, every 25 kilometres uses KES 5 worth of tokens.
Kitonga says additional guardrails are being introduced to preserve the carpooling ethos, including potential limits on the number of seats a driver can list per trip. The objective is to discourage commercialisation and reinforce shared commuting dynamics.
“If you want to use it as a side gig or main gig, we encourage you to keep your main gig. We’re very clear during onboarding that for drivers we help you save on fuel costs,” Kitonga says.
Adoption challenges and retention strategy
While the concept leverages existing commuter behaviour, converting informal arrangements into platform usage presents challenges. Closed messaging groups already allow predictable coordination among fixed commuter clusters.
G-rani’s counter-proposition centres on flexibility. Users can quickly find alternative drivers when regular arrangements fall through, reducing reliance on static groups.
The startup also acknowledges the risk of offline disintermediation, where users transact outside the platform after initial connections and is investing in in-app features such as pricing logic, seat visibility, and accountability mechanisms to anchor behaviour.
Safety and insurance considerations
To address safety concerns, G-rani requires users to register with active phone numbers and government-issued identification, supported by selfie verification. Matching algorithms prioritise proximity, typically connecting passengers living within five kilometres of one another.
Insurance classification remains a recurring question among drivers. Kenya’s regulatory framework differentiates between private-use vehicles and commercial passenger transport, the latter requiring comprehensive cover.
Kitonga argues that G-rani’s cost-sharing structure keeps participants within private-use parameters, though the issue reflects wider regulatory ambiguity surrounding emerging shared-mobility models.
Expansion roadmap and fundraising plans
Following its Nairobi pilot, G-rani currently operates across two active routes but reports demand outpacing supply. Increasing route density is therefore a key near-term focus.
From June 2026, the company plans to expand to additional Kenyan cities including Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Nakuru, alongside the introduction of longer-distance trips.
The startup has so far prioritised product validation over external capital but is preparing to close a pre-seed round aimed at accelerating growth and geographic expansion.
As shared mobility models evolve across African cities, G-rani’s bet is that structuring everyday cost-sharing behaviour rather than replacing it could offer a scalable pathway to more accessible urban transport.
Talking Points
It is notable that G-rani is not attempting to reinvent urban mobility but instead formalising an already entrenched commuter behaviour, informal carpooling. This behaviour-first approach significantly lowers the barrier to adoption compared with introducing entirely new transport models.
The startup’s positioning as a cost-sharing platform rather than a gig marketplace is particularly strategic. By discouraging profit-driven driving and removing commission fees, G-rani preserves the social contract underpinning carpooling while still creating a scalable coordination layer.
At Techparley, we see this as a pragmatic mobility innovation. In markets where ride-hailing remains relatively expensive for daily use and public transport struggles with comfort and reliability, structured carpooling offers a credible middle ground.
The token-based revenue model also stands out. Instead of monetising rides directly, G-rani monetises access to coordination infrastructure, aligning its incentives with usage rather than fare inflation. If executed well, this could sustain affordability while ensuring platform viability.
As G-rani expands beyond Nairobi, route density and liquidity will be critical success factors. Marketplace mobility platforms derive value from network effects, and scaling supply and demand concurrently will determine user retention and satisfaction.
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