Little, the Kenyan owned cab-hailing company has partnered with St John Ambulance to offer emergency ambulance services through the Little app, expanding Little’s mobility offerings.

The emergency ambulance services, under the Little Rescue category within the Little app, will enable Little customers to request for ambulance services and get connected to a St John Ambulance dispatcher who will coordinate the emergency response with the ambulance crew.

While sharing details on how the ambulance service will work, Little CEO Kamal Budhabhatti underscored the importance of the partnership, “Little is ever researching on ways to use technology to simplify people’s lives by offering convenient services. When people are in emergencies, they go online to search for ambulance services and contacts, which can be time-consuming and may not lead you directly to the contacts. With the Little app, a customer will simply log in and click ‘confirm ambulance’ within the Little Rescue category and they immediately get connected to St John Ambulance dispatchers who send out the ambulances depending on the type of emergencies.”

A unique aspect of this new feature by Little is that customers are able to track the ambulance and view estimated arrival time.  The ambulance crew will be able to follow a live map to whether the distressed customer and this reduces time lost in coordinating with the customer on the location.

Speaking on the new partnership Fred Majiwa, Head of Programme, Business Development and Communications at St John Ambulance Kenya said, “This is a timely partnership that will enable Kenyans in dire situations to receive quality emergency care and evacuation in record time. Customers can now track in real-time an ambulance that has been dispatched to help them, thanks to the live map that has been created. The crew will only need to use one live map to direct them to the emergency scene, which reduces time spent consulting the customer over the phone or use of different maps. This service also helps enhance our management of COVID-19 cases, which we are currently attending to free of charge, as part of our CSR.”

As of March 2020, Kenya is leading Africa in smartphone penetration with Internet access through the mobile phone in the country recently hitting 83%, overtaking Nigeria. This means that many Kenyans with access to a smartphone can easily request for the ambulance services from the Little app. A unique aspect of this new feature by Little is that customers are able to track the ambulance and view estimated arrival time.  The ambulance crew will be able to follow a live map to whether the distressed customer and this reduces time lost in coordinating with the customer on the location.

This development comes weeks after Little introduced free rides up to Ksh 600 per ride to 11 partner hospitals when customers need medical attention during curfew hours (7 PM-5 AM).

LITTLE  – AMBULANCE FAQs

  • What is Little Ambulance?

The Little Ambulance service allows customers to request for emergency services from the Little App. Currently, we have the ambulance services offered by St John Ambulance Kenya.

  • How does the service work?

To access this service, follow these steps;
Step 1: Update your Little app

Step 2: Log onto the Little app

Step 3: Go to the ‘Transport’ category and select Ambulance

Step 4: Pop up with Dispatcher’s contact details will pop up and allow you to contact them

Step 5: Dispatcher sends the ambulance

Step 6: The ambulance crew attends to customers and evacuates them to their hospital of choice.

Step 7: Customer pays St John Ambulance Kenya Ksh 5,500 using the Little app either through Little Coins or MPESA.

 

  • How can I pay for Little Ambulance?

You can pay using the Little app either through Little Coins or MPESA.

To pay using MPESA, at the end of the trip, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Click on the MPESA payment option

Step 2: Input your MPESA pin when the MPESA prompt pops up on your screen

Step 3: Click accept and the money will automatically be deducted from your MPESA account.

 

  •  What is unique about Little Ambulance as opposed to ordering via St John directly?

Little Ambulance has been conveniently placed within the Little app to reduce any processes you may need to go through when accessing the service.

The customer is also able to track the ambulance through a live map and is also provided an estimated arrival time. This reduces the delay time caused when waiting on an ambulance to arrive at the scene.

 

  • How much does the service cost?

The Ambulance service costs Ksh 5,500. The charge includes attendance to the victim by the ambulance crew and evacuation to the customer’s preferred hospital within Nairobi.

For emergency requests from JKIA & Wilson airport, the price will be Ksh 8,500. This is due to fees charged by the airport authorities to the ambulance service provider.

 

  • Is this service applicable to other counties or only Nairobi County?

Currently, the service is available in Nairobi County, with plans to expand to more counties.

 

  • How long can an ambulance wait for a customer after dropping them at the hospital?

Once the ambulance crew stabilizes the customer, they will evacuate the customer to the hospital of their choice, within Nairobi.

If the customer requests the Ambulance crew to wait at the hospital, the crew can wait for an hour, after which a rate of Ksh 1,500 will apply for every hour the crew has to wait within the hospital premises.

 

  • Will I be charged for accidentally clicking the ambulance request button?

The ambulance request service should only be used in emergency situations. A customer will be charged for any request placed via the Little app.

 

  • Will I still have to pay for the ambulance services even if my insurance covers this?

If your insurance covers this service, then you are not expected to pay. However, in order to qualify for the insurance cover for this service, the St John Ambulance team would need to receive confirmation from the insurance company confirming the costs will be covered by the insurance company, before dispatching the ambulance to the scene. This confirmation would need to be in the form of an email to the St John Ambulance Kenya team.