Seems like every money transaction service now has a smart card, from your fuel card to your Bank account’s ATM card. Plastic money is now becoming a common thing.

Just as you would find a “Visa Card Accepted Here” sign in almost every supermarket, you will also spot a “Beba Card Accepted Here” sticker in some buses. Bus fare has also adopted the use of smart cards.

A Beba card is a smart card that you can use to pay bus fare. You top it up to a maximum of KES 10,000 and whenever you are in a bus that accepts the card, you simply tap the card on the card reader to pay. Seems like a convenient way to pay bus fare, right?

It is convenient to those who frequently use buses that accept the card, though currently only two bus service providers accept them: Citi Hoppa and Metro buses in Nairobi. It thus confines you to these two bus companies.

It is however important to note that the card is free and whenever it is used you will get a free SMS receipt plus you can monitor your expenses on the Beba website . There are also no additional fees for using the card.

The only down side to this card is the fact that very few transport service providers accept the it. But saves you the hustle of having to transact using cash.

{The above does not constitute investor advice and it remains the opinion of the writer}