Swipe cards from 1st July in Kenya to help reduce bus fare and theft

The government has decreed that matatus will operate with swipe cards and without cash from July 1.
Matatus are already starting to implement the technology.
Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai yesterday described the new system as a "game changer."
Commuters will top up their cards at banks or kiosks and then swipe the card as they enter matatus.
This simple system will have multiple benefits.
Matatus will become safer because they will no longer carry cash that might attract robbers.
Without cash, matatu drivers will be able to resist demands for bribes from policemen or protection rackets like Mungiki.
Passengers will no longer be subject to higher fares when it is raining or a holiday as the swipe card will only deduct a standard fare for the route.
It may even result in reduced fares as matatu drivers and touts will now find it more difficult to cheat the owners out of the day's takings.
The only people who may lose are drivers who used to pocket some of the fares. But even that may have a good side - perhaps they will drive more slowly and responsibly if they no longer personally benefit from the day's collections.