Ethio Telecom, Hybrid Designs Agree to Allow RIDE users to Settle Payment via Telebirr 

ADDIS ABABA  – Ethio telecom and Hybrid Designs Plc., a parent company of RIDE, signed a partnership agreement that would enable ride transport service customers to settle payments using the newly emerging Telebirr digital payment system.

The partnership agreement was signed between Frehiwot Tamru, CEO of Ethio Telecom, and Samrawit Fikru, CEO of Hybrid Designs Plc., on Thursday.

Hybrid Designs, a local software developer, launched the taxi app RIDE, Ethiopian version of Uber, in 2014.

The app currently connects over 40, 000 drivers with ride transport service users in Addis Ababa.

The latest Telebirr partnership with Ethio Telecom provides an additional option for settling payment between the drivers and their customers. Telebirr currently has more than 19.4 million subscribers across the nation.

The drivers could also serve as Ethio telecom’s agents to sell telecom products including collecting monthly Ethio telecom and utility bill payments, registering new Telebirr customers, providing cash in and cash out services, airtime, packages, and new SIM cards sales. 

The agreement “is mainly aimed at integrating telecom and telebirr services with the RIDE transport service platform so as to meet the ever growing demand for telecom products and services accessibility and optional payment platforms,” the state-owned telco.

The telecom service provider recently signed a similar agreement with Ethiopian Airlines, allowing air travelers to settle payment for domestic flight ticket through Telebirr.

Telebirr is currently integrated to 10 banks to transfer from and to the mobile money platform. Transactions valued over 18.7 billion-birr has been made through the platform  since its launch a year ago on May 11, 2021.