In order to address the transport and logistics industry in the region, Bader Transport and Logistics, which was established to revolutionize the transport industry in the Somali region, has announced that it has set a goal to grow its company in strategic locations. It is considering utilizing electric cars to combat the scarcity and increase in gasoline prices.

The firm, which was founded almost three years ago by seven shareholders with capital of nearly 80 million birr, claims to have grown in recent years in response to public demand for contemporary services.

With the help of 18 buses, the IT-driven company oversaw all parcel and transportation operations.

“At the moment, we have about fifty buses, and we started ten taxis,” states Abdurahman Abdulwahab, the company’s vice president and head of the IT section.

According to Mahmoud Mohammed, the company’s chairwoman, “we started operating in three cities: Jigjiga, Tog-wajaale, and Dire Dawa, and now we expanded into six cities, mainly Gode, Degehabur, and Kebridahar.”

He recalls that the business began with minibuses and then included medium buses in addition to small automobiles that offered digital-based taxi services in Jigjiga, the capital of the Somali region.

In order to improve the sector, which is extremely subpar in terms of customer handling and service, the Chairperson states, “In the transportation sector, there is a big gap in the entire country, especially in our region, and based on that, we tried to do some samples that we got from our neighbors to involve in the modern transportation system that embarked in July 2021.”

“Our unique features set us apart from other similar operators in the country,” Abdurahman states, noting that the Bader operation primarily targets the Somali area, one of the two largest regions in the nation.

“Our company’s other unique selling point is that we provide accommodations and high-quality services,” adds Abdurahman.

“We began letting others join by charging. If someone owns a brand-new bus that meets our standards, they may join our system for just 15% of the entire income.

“The IT infrastructure is our core business,” he continues, highlighting Bader’s IT-driven business model.

“We developed an IT-focused system that allows our clients to reserve buses via a mobile app from anywhere and our website, which also features a feature that displays bus routes that are available,” states the IT head.

There are four sectors within the firm. In addition, he says, “We have the parcel, bus, taxi, and cargo delivery service sectors.”

Additionally, this program is a centralized system that essentially keeps track of the business’s expenses, daily revenue, and any revenue from the garage, taxi, and bus. The business utilizes its own garage and replacement components that are specifically intended for the bus and taxes. “That’s what this application keeps an eye on,” he said.

The firm has several challenges, one of which is the soaring costs of fuel and its scarcity.

To address the issue, owners are already searching for electric buses, according to Bader adviser Ahmed Abdi.

Support for government policies is anticipated from the authorities to expedite the business, in addition to land access as a terminal and vehicle service.

Mahmoud stated that the company is trying to increase both the bus’s distance and seat configuration.

The firm is now collaborating with bus suppliers and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to get funding for business expansion.

According to the company’s proprietors, expanding the business is very profitable, in addition to offering respectable transportation services to commuters in the region.

To be technologically ready to launch the huge logistics service, the firm, which presently offers parcel service (small logistics), is preparing.

In addition to housing 248 workers, Bader also oversees the upkeep of its own fleet of vehicles at its base in Jigjiga.

The company adviser recalled that officials from the region and central government had visited the company on several occasions, “that they understood how the firm is changing the transportation sector in the region.”

“To enable the company to run fleets smoothly, we need some kind of support in terms of hard currency availability to import spare parts and buses,” he continued.