In July, Swvl, Egypt’s bus-hailing startup, expanded into Lahore, Pakistan’s second-most populous city. Lahore struggles with a poor public transit system and traffic-clogged streets, which contribute to long commute times. With Swvl, Pakistani commuters can leave for work and arrive home — timely, safely, and affordably. On the Swvl app, users book rides on private buses and can reserve seats two-days in advance. Payment is seamless. Using a mobile wallet, Swvl users have the option to pay via our mobile app.
Since our founding in 2017, we have revolutionized the way commuters travel in Egypt and Kenya, by providing a premium alternative to public transportation. As expected, our expansion into Lahore proved a huge success. We grew our fleet to 50 buses and daily bus bookings surged into the hundreds. In response to strong demand, we’ve rolled out our services to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Karachi, making Pakistan our second biggest market after Egypt.
With bus-hailing, Pakistani commuters keep more money in their pockets. Cost savings have become more important than ever. In recent years, Pakistan’s economy has struggled. Sluggish growth, ballooning debt levels, a weak rupee, and high inflation are dragging on the economy. Facing the economic downturn, Pakistanis need to save money wherever they can.
Compared to ride-hailing, dominated by Uber and Careem, cost savings in bus-hailing are significant. An average Uber/Careem ride costs up to 700 rupees. But our fares are as low as 100 rupees, making it 70% cheaper than ride-hailing. Bus-hailing can deliver cost savings due to its relatively high passenger volume. A 40-seater bus can accommodate 10 times the number of people as compared to a standard 4-seat vehicle. Our buses run on fixed routes, which help attract more commuters, drive booking volumes, and lower prices. Cost savings are core to our vision as we build an alternative mass transit system that is cheaper, more reliable, and more convenient for our users.
At Swvl, we’re passionate about providing safe transport, particularly for women. Public transportation can be dangerous for female travelers in many developing countries, including Pakistan. Sexual harassment is ubiquitous in public transit. Women cite groping, ogling, and lewd comments as the most frequent forms of sexual harassment when taking public buses. If women don’t feel safe going to work, they stay at home, which limits their participation in the economy.
In Lahore, over 90% of women report experiencing sexual harassment on public buses, with 82% harassed at bus stops. Consequently, male family members in Pakistan discourage their mothers, daughters, and sisters from using public transport alone, which then restricts their access to job opportunities. It is therefore no surprise that the women’s labor force participation in Pakistan falls well below the world average, despite a 50:50 population ratio.
At Swvl, we make transport work for women — and help close the gender gap. To prioritize women’s safety and stamp out sexual harassment, we perform background checks on all our captains (drivers) and educate them on appropriate customer behavior. As research has shown that women tend to not report harassment over fears that they’ll be publicly shamed, we’re integrating an emergency hotline into our mobile app to make it easier for women passengers to safely report sexual harassment. The Swvl app also features a share-my-ride option so that women can share their movements with family members. By implementing these safeguards, we aim to reduce the worry that women commuters can face when using public transit.
Finally, we’re committed to our employees. At Swvl, we care deeply about providing dignified work for our captains, who are critical to our success. In Pakistan, just like in Egypt, bus driving is viewed as a low-paying and demeaning career. Bus drivers are underpaid, overworked and easily replaceable. In February, Pakistani bus drivers went on strike due to unpaid salaries and unjustly imposed fines. The large-scale demonstration between Rawalpindi and Islamabad paralyzed public transit, affecting over 110,000 commuters in the process. Bus drivers should not have to take to the streets before their wages are paid.
To avoid such instances, we pay a fixed monthly wage to our drivers. In Kenya, our management and captains mutually agree on a minimum daily guarantee based on average expected earnings per bus. Should the day’s earnings fall below the guarantee, we supplement the difference and if the earnings exceed the guarantee, we take the difference. This way, our captains are certain of their earnings regardless of the market. We intend to continue these measures in Pakistan. By addressing the volatile nature of bus-driving, we are fulfilling a critical need — job security for our captains.
For us at Swvl, our users and employees remain at the heart of our mission. As we expand our presence throughout Pakistan, we’re working tirelessly to ensure that Swvl is and remains the preferred transport choice for Pakistani commuters. Our steadfast commitment to affordability, safety, and employee inclusivity is unrivaled and will play a pivotal role in our efforts to disrupt public transit in Pakistan and across emerging markets.
