Travelling from Nairobi central business district (CBD) to the working-class suburb of Rongai normally takes 45 minutes to two hours, depending on traffic.<\/p>\n

Inside the \u201cFerguson\u201d Matatu (A decoreated minibus or Taxi Used in Kenyan)\u2013 named for its colourful images of the former Manchester United manager \u2013 half a dozen passengers seem oblivious to the length of their commute. Instead, they sit glued to their smartphones, checking the latest news, YouTube videos and catching up on emails.<\/p>\n

Ferguson is one of more than 1,000 matatus in the city now equipped with free wi-fi for passengers to enjoy through a service called\u00a0Vuma Online, launched this April by Safaricom, Kenya\u2019s biggest telecom company. The goal, according to Kevin Bett of Safaricom, is to \u201cconvert [passengers] to internet users\u201d. But for Matatu drivers and conductors it\u2019s giving them an edge over intense competition for passengers. \u201cWe get more passengers,\u201d says Victor Njuguna, a Vuma-equipped Matatu conductor. \u201cThey actually wait for our bus \u2013 they want to enjoy free wi-fi.<\/p>\n

Nairobi is East Africa\u2019s economic, business and technology hub. It has grown from half a million residents in the 1970s to more than three million today. It has grown outward, not upward resulting in an unplanned semi-urban sprawl.<\/p>\n

It is perhaps no surprise then that the city ranks as the fourth most painful commute in the world, according to\u00a0IBM\u2019s Commuter Pain Index. Keyan government estimates that traffic jams cost the economy more than 50m Kenyan shillings (\u00a3365,000; $585,000) per day in lost productivity, fuel consumption and pollution.<\/p>\n

While the government has ambitious plans to build new roads and bypasses for the city, and even establish a mass rapid transit system and rapid light rail by 2030, progress, like the traffic itself, seems painfully slow.<\/p>\n

Though Nairobi\u2019s commute is dreadful to most, for some of Kenya\u2019s burgeoning \u201csilicon savannah\u201d techies, it\u2019s an opportunity.<\/p>\n

#BestDressed<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCommutes can be up to three hours long,\u201d says Jeremy Gordon, chief executive of FlashCast, a Kenyan tech start-up. \u201cThat\u2019s a captive audience whose time is pretty under-used.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launched in 2012, FlashCast has designed a location-based advertising system for buses and matatus, using a red LED marquee display connected to a GPS unit and 3G modem installed in the vehicles. Yet advertising alone can be boring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can\u2019t make it an entertaining, engaging experience, it\u2019s not worth it for them,\u201d explains Mr Gordon. \u201cWe also display news headlines, short quizzes, games, word scrambles and discussion topics.\u201d For example, in April they asked riders on selected buses to nominate the #BestDressed Passenger on<\/p>\n

The replies ended up being a huge hit, with responses such as \u201cRed lipstick grey top blue jeans seated back seat next 2 the window on the left side. #pliz\u2026\u201cPeople have a desire to be stimulated when they\u2019re sitting in traffic,\u201d says Mr Gordon, \u201cso it\u2019s a win win.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a win for the vehicle owners, since they earn a share of the advertising revenues. However, entertaining commuters \u2013 and occasionally helping them hit on each other \u2013 isn\u2019t the only service FlashCast offers.<\/p>\n

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE LOGISTICS NEWS<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Since its GPS units track vehicles in real time, it is making that traffic information available through its Android mobile app so that customers can track the location and movement of certain buses, to help figure out which route to take to beat the traffic.<\/p>\n

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