Nairobi, Kenya

Getting around Nairobi

How to travel around Nairobi — 5 options, what they cost, and which booking apps fix the fare before you go.

Last updated 2026-08-11

1. Bolt and Uber

Both work well across Nairobi and remove the fare argument entirely.

Watch outDrivers who ring to ask you to cancel and pay cash — the trip then has no record, no fixed price and no route.

2. Matatus

Privately run minibuses on fixed routes, very cheap and the way most of the city moves.

Cost: KES 50–150
Tip: Fares rise sharply in rain and at rush hour, which is normal rather than a scam.

3. Boda bodas

Motorbike taxis, fastest through traffic and the least safe thing you will do here.

Watch outFares are negotiated, not metered; agree the price before getting on.

4. SGR Madaraka Express

The standard-gauge railway to Mombasa, booked online and far better than the road.

Best time: Book several days ahead
Cost: KES 1,000–4,500

5. JKIA airport transfer

Jomo Kenyatta is roughly 18km out, and traffic makes the time wildly variable.

Watch outMen working the arrivals kerb offering rides at a 'fixed airport rate' well above the app price.

Booking apps in Kenya

Agreeing the fare in an app before you travel removes the argument at the end of the journey, which is where most transport scams happen. Links go to each app's official page — lookalike apps are themselves a scam.

Bolt

The most widely used ride-hailing app in Kenya, usually cheaper than Uber.

Coverage: Nairobi and Mombasa, thinner elsewhere.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

Uber

Operates alongside Bolt with cars and the cheaper Chapchap tier.

Coverage: Nairobi and Mombasa.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

Little

Kenyan operator run with Safaricom, paying through M-Pesa directly.

Coverage: Nairobi.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

M-Pesa

The mobile money system most fares, fees and small purchases are settled with.

Coverage: Nationwide, near-universal.
Why it helps: Paying by M-Pesa leaves a record and removes the 'no change' routine that turns a small fare into a large note handed over.