Not taking a risk in life is an even greater risk according to Laurence Mollel, a taxi driver that left his blue collar job in insurance in 2021 in Arusha. The driver tells his story as he recalls not having a detailed business plan—just a conviction that sitting behind a desk wasn’t working.

“The work felt monotonous, the hours were strict, and being behind the desk was not getting me ahead of the money.” So he took a leap; he bought a small used car and signed up on Indrive to get the wheels rolling towards financial independence.

“I just wanted control over my time and income,” Mollel says. “And ride-hailing gave me that window.”

Within a year, Laurence was a different person. And the following year he bought a better car that added extra income to the first, which he now contracted to another driver. “Having been frequently surrounded by busy land cruisers and other safari vehicles in the Arusha highways soon, my dream on the road also began to take a new shape and form.

What started as a gamble became a business.

And it’s not an isolated case. According to an online salary database, Paylab.com, taxi drivers in Tanzania earn between TSh651,000 and TSh1.5 million per month, while office clerks average around TSh765,000. The numbers tell a clear story: ride-hailing, done smartly, pays more than a corporate job. 

“This industry changed my life,” Mollel says, adjusting the rear-view mirror. “Now I don’t just drive — I build.”