In Kenya, the Matatu industry is one of the most chaotic industries you can find, but have you been to Nairobi town and seen long queues around Kenya Archives or Kenya Bus Station (KBS)? Well, those queues are for Super Metro bus customers waiting for the bus to arrive so they can get to their destination.
Currently, the Super Metro operates in different areas moving in and out of Nairobi. Some of the areas include the Kikuyu route, Thika Road, and Juja all the way to Makongeni. They also operate along the Ngong route, as well as the Ruai Kamulu route.
But why the Metro bus when there are other alternatives and other Saccos going to the same destination? Before they launched the Sacco, Super Metro noticed a loop in the Matatu industry which was the unruly behavior of those operating the industry. The Sacco came up with a better way to treat and attend to their customer and within no time they had won the hearts of many travelers and dominated the transport sector.
With much said about the Super Metro Sacco, who owns the Super Metro Buses? Well, this article covers more about the founder and the chairman of Super Metro, a school dropout who believed in the process.
Who Owns Super Metro Buses?
The famous Super Metro Sacco was founded in 2013 by a Kenyan entrepreneur by the name of Nelson Mwangi. The businessman was born into a poor family and his parents didn’t have much to feed and school them and so the parents had a tough choice to make between school and food but eventually settled on feeding them.
After lacking, school fees he dropped out of form four, left his home, and came to Nairobi City in search of green pastures. However, Nairobi turned out to be a desert after his hunt for a job ended fruitlessly. Instead of going back home, Mwangi started roasting maize in Eastlands near Makadara law courts.
After some time, he eventually secured a job in the hospitality industry where he rose to the ranks becoming the operation manager. While working in the hospitality industry, he got some PSV matatus which he would run as a side hustle.
The side hustle started booming and decided to venture into the business fully quitting his job to run matatus full-time. While at the business he learned a lot which helped him to mold the now-famous Super Metro.
Before founding the Sacco, Mwangi sat down with 13 other directors who had the same vision as him. Their main aim as a team was to bring sanity to the industry, so the first step they took was to set a business rule book that would govern the entire Sacco.
After that, they looked for an interviewing board and the interview process of workers including drivers and conductors started. Once everything was in place they went on and launched the Super Metro bus in 2013.
According to him, they don’t hand pick drivers or conductors, instead, they apply just like any other job, and once their application goes through they are asked to bring their qualification documents on the interview day.
The strict rules and regulations which include respecting customers at all times are one of the key rules that have earned Super Metro loyal customers that are always ready to wait and queue for their turn.
Nelson Mwangi Other Business and Wealth
Other than, the transport business which is his main investment much is not known about his other ventures. Speaking of his wealth, having a leading matatu Saccos in Nairobi is enough to say he’s a rich man. His net value is estimated to be over Ksh 700 million.