Before AquaGas, ordering gas in most of Nairobi looked the same way it has for a decade: call a supplier, quote a landmark instead of an address, and wait — with no real idea whether your delivery is five minutes away or hasn't left the shop yet. We built our tracking system to close that gap.
What happens the moment you place an order
- Your order is matched to the nearest verified vendor with your cylinder size in stock — not just the biggest or best-known one.
- A rider is assigned and the app immediately shows their name, rating, and a live ETA based on distance and Nairobi's real traffic patterns.
- Every status change — confirmed, picked up, en route, arrived — updates instantly on your screen and, if you allow it, as a notification.
The map view is more than a nice animation
The live map on your order screen pulls the rider's actual GPS position, refreshed continuously, so the ETA adjusts in real time rather than showing a static estimate calculated once at checkout. If traffic on Waiyaki Way backs up, your ETA reflects that instead of quietly going stale.
Why this matters beyond convenience
Transparency changes behaviour on both sides. Riders know their route is visible, which keeps deliveries direct and accountable. Customers can plan around an accurate window instead of staying pinned near the gate for hours. And because every delivery is logged with timestamps and location data, disputes — a rare but real part of any delivery business — get resolved with evidence instead of guesswork.
Under the hood
Rider positions stream over a lightweight socket connection rather than the app repeatedly polling the server, which keeps battery drain low for riders doing a full day of deliveries and keeps your tracking screen smooth even on a modest connection.
What's next
We're extending the same tracking infrastructure to cylinder-level data — smart valve sensors that can flag a near-empty cylinder before you run out, and eventually suggest a reorder automatically. Delivery transparency was step one. Consumption transparency is next.