Sent fare to someone who never came. Set a timer. Said “if you don't show up, I get my money back.” Nobody offered that. So we built it.
TumaFare is a conditional payment platform for East Africa. When you need to send money to someone — for transport, for a product, for a service — TumaFare securely holds those funds until the agreed condition is met.
Condition met? Money releases instantly to the recipient. Condition not met before the deadline? Full refund, automatically. No arguments. No support tickets. No “the money is in transit.”
“Pay when conditions are met. Not before. Not after.”
Protected Transport Payment
Fare is secured until your person physically arrives and you approve the release.
OTP Verification
Recipient proves identity via a 6-digit OTP before claiming. No impersonation, no code sharing.
Auto-Refund
Timer expires with no delivery? Money returns to sender. Zero manual intervention.
GPS Verification
Delivery confirmation anchored to a real-world GPS location. No remote confirmations.
The idea started the same way most things in East Africa start — with a personal experience. Someone sent fare to a person who never showed up. Someone else paid for goods that never arrived. Someone shipped inventory to a buyer who disappeared.
These aren't rare edge cases. They're daily realities for millions of people across Uganda and Kenya. WhatsApp groups are full of “I sent fare and they never came” stories. Senders lose money. Recipients get the benefit of the doubt they didn't deserve.
The root issue isn't that people are bad. The root issue is that there's no infrastructure for conditional trust. No neutral third party. No enforceable conditions. No accountability mechanism.
Banks don't solve this. M-PESA doesn't solve this. Sending money directly creates a binary: you trust them or you don't. TumaFare creates a third option — you trust the system, not the person.
That's TumaFare. Conditional payments for transport money in East Africa. Fare is secured until they arrive. Approve when they're there. Auto-refund when they're not. Simple, honest, and built for how people actually move money here.
Every feature in TumaFare was designed around a specific real-world failure. Here's what we're solving and how.
The Situation
You and your person planned to meet. You sent them fare so they could hop on a boda or take a taxi to you. They confirmed. WhatsApp said 'delivered'. Then — nothing. Phone rings out. Seen at 6:47pm. Today is tomorrow.
The Impact
You lost the money. They didn't show up. There was no accountability. Nothing.
TumaFare's Solution
With TumaFare, funds are held pending arrival verification. The recipient only receives the fare after they physically arrive at the agreed point and you approve. No arrival, no payout. Timer expires, full refund — automatically.
The Situation
Classic follow-up loop. 'I'm on my way.' 'Almost there.' 'Just boarding now.' Three hours later — phone off. You're sitting there with zero leverage and lighter pockets.
The Impact
You lost the money. They never came. Nothing you can do about it.
TumaFare's Solution
TumaFare secures the fare before anything moves. Recipient only gets paid after they physically arrive and you approve. If the timer runs out — full auto-refund. No 'I'm almost there' games.
The Situation
It's not always strangers. Sometimes it's a friend, a cousin, a coworker. You trust them — but you've also been let down before. And asking for proof feels awkward.
The Impact
You send anyway, hoping. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. The relationship suffers either way.
TumaFare's Solution
TumaFare removes the awkward. You don't say 'I don't trust you' — you say 'let's use TumaFare so we're both protected.' Genuine people don't mind. Only ghosts resist.
Simple enough to use in 30 seconds. Robust enough to handle real money with real consequences.
🚌 Transport Money Flow
Sender locks fare
Enters amount, recipient phone, meeting point, and expiry window. Pays via Mobile Money.
Payment secured
Funds are held pending arrival verification. Recipient gets an SMS with their secure claim link.
Recipient sets off
Recipient opens the link, enters OTP, pins their location and taps 'I'm On My Way'.
Arrives & confirms
Recipient arrives within 500m of the meeting point. Taps 'I've Arrived'.
Sender approves
Sender taps Approve. Fare releases instantly to recipient's Mobile Money.
Funds Move Only When Conditions Are Met
Money never moves directly between parties. It is held securely by our payment partner until conditions are verifiably met. No condition met, no money released.
GPS-Anchored Arrival
Recipient must be within 500m of the agreed meeting point to confirm arrival. You can't confirm from your sofa. You can't ghost from across town.
Auto-Refund on No-Show
If the timer runs out — no arrival, no delivery confirmation — the money auto-refunds to the sender. No support ticket. No arguments. Automatic.
Install PWA
Add TumaFare to your home screen for a full app experience — instant loading, on-time notifications, and works offline. No app store needed. Just open the site and tap 'Add to Home Screen'.
Built for East Africa
MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda, Safaricom M-PESA Kenya. We understand how money moves here — the fees, the networks, the trust gaps.
Licensed & Accountable
Funds are held by PawaPay — a regulated third-party payment service provider. Your money never sits in TumaFare's account. It's held securely by our payment partner until conditions are met.
Send transport fare with confidence. Pay only when they arrive. They arrive, you approve, they get paid. They ghost — you get your money back. Free for recipients. Transparent fees for senders. Built on MTN, Airtel, and M-PESA.
No app download needed. Works on any phone via SMS link.