New app BailOutBuddy (Android) goes to the rescue of motorists caught up in traffic offences
Simon Njuguna is constantly on the road, moving from one county to another for business.
He notes that most times it is difficult to avoid committing traffic offences owing to time constraints in delivering goods to customers in various counties.
A few days ago he was involved in a fender-bender, something that saw him land at the Central Police Station in Nairobi.
His insurance company was not forthcoming at the time, which only worsened the plight, pushing him to call for help from the Bailoutbuddy mobile app team.
The mobile app works like an insurance cover, allowing members to redeem amounts payable under a selected premium plan.
?Within one hour, I was out of the police station since help had arrived courtesy of the Bailoutbuddy team,? said Mr Njuguna, who has subscribed on the platform under the Sh13,000 premium plan.
The Bailoutbuddy mobile app is the brainchild of Alex Mutitu, who developed it after an ugly encounter with police in Naivasha a few months ago. The police had stopped him on the way to Nakuru, accusing him of speeding and were demanding for Sh25,000 as bail charges, money he did not have at the time.
Though somewhat reserved on details of his experience at the police station, Mr Mutitu reveals that the incident made him think seriously about an mobile app.
He divulged that the app is meant to bridge the gap between when an arrest is made for a traffic offence and the moment one is released from police custody.
?We all love our freedom, so it is traumatising to be held at a police station simply because you do not have money to pay for bail or do not have someone to come to your rescue,? said the 32-year-old.
The Bailoutbuddy works like an insurance cover such that a traffic offender is guaranteed an amount payable under their selected plan.
There are three categories through which members can subscribe on the platform and they can be downloaded via the Google Play store. Members subscribing for annual premiums of Sh6,000 are covered for a cash bail of up to Sh30,000, while those in the Sh13,000 plan are covered for up to Sh50,000 cash bail. Those under the Sh25,000 plan can get cash bail of up to Sh100,000. Premiums are payable once a year through M-Pesa, with benefits of the cover only redeemable 24 hours from the time of subscription.
?The M-Pesa alert offers details regarding the type of cover and time payment was made, which has direct bearing on illegibility for the cover,? said Mr Mutitu, an Actuarial Science graduate from DALC. Upon an alert that a member needs bailout, the administrator sends motorbike riders who are on standby to the police station where the member is held.
Mr Mutitu said that prior to coming up with the app he visited various police stations to learn about leading traffic offences. His research established that most traffic offences are connected to drunk driving, speeding and overlapping.
On it home page, the Bailoutbuddy app has a section which features the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Act bearing all the traffic offence types and penalties attached to each.
Sources: Business Daily Africa