Terms of Service

About BOWTT

BOWTT is owned and operated by Homesly Investment, a business registered in Kenya (registration no. BN-OVSK8QKY). BOWTT connects passengers who need to travel between jetties in Lamu with captains and boats able to take them. BOWTT provides the platform; the journey itself is provided by the captain and their boat.

Your account

You must be 18 or older to hold a BOWTT account. You are responsible for keeping your account secure and for the accuracy of the information you give us. We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms or puts the safety of others at risk.

Requesting and taking trips

Before you request a boat, BOWTT shows you a fare estimate for your route, boat class and travel type. Requesting a boat does not guarantee a match — BOWTT looks for an eligible captain and boat and tells you if none is available. You may cancel a request or trip only while it is in a stage that allows cancellation, as shown in the app. Captains must hold the licences, insurance and safety equipment the law requires for their boat.

Safety

Always wear a life jacket where one is provided, follow the captain's instructions, and do not board a boat that looks unsafe or overloaded. In an emergency, contact the relevant emergency services first, then let BOWTT know.

Ratings and behaviour

Ratings must reflect a genuine completed trip. You may not manipulate ratings, submit fraudulent requests or bookings, or behave in a way that puts other users, captains or boats at risk.

Payments

You do not pay before your trip. Once your trip is under way, you pay the captain directly — in cash, M-Pesa or Airtel Money — and the captain confirms that payment has been received. BOWTT never receives or holds your fare, and the app does not take money from your phone. If a payment is not confirmed, BOWTT may send reminders or temporarily restrict new requests until it is resolved; disputes over a specific trip's payment are handled by BOWTT. Captains separately owe BOWTT a commission on completed trips, which is settled between the captain and BOWTT and is never charged to the passenger.

Trip summaries and receipts

When your trip is completed, BOWTT emails you a trip summary showing the route, boat, captain and the quoted amount you were shown for the trip. When the captain confirms in the app that you have paid, BOWTT emails you a payment receipt. These emails are generated by BOWTT from the trip record and from the captain's confirmation of payment. Because BOWTT does not receive or hold your fare, the receipt records what your captain confirmed; it is not issued by BOWTT as the recipient of the money, and it is not a tax invoice. We only send these emails to an email address you have confirmed.

Refunds

BOWTT never receives or holds a passenger's fare, so BOWTT cannot refund or reverse a payment. You pay the captain directly, and any refund that is due, for example if you were overcharged or a trip you paid for did not take place, can only be issued by the captain. If you cannot resolve it with the captain, contact BOWTT through our Complaints & Support page and we will help look into it, which may include contacting the captain, recording the matter and, where appropriate, taking action under our captain terms. BOWTT does not guarantee the outcome of a payment disagreement between a passenger and a captain.

Our responsibility

We do our best to keep BOWTT reliable, but we cannot guarantee that a boat will always be available, or that the app will be free of interruptions. BOWTT is not responsible for delays, weather, or events outside our reasonable control, is not a party to the payment between a passenger and a captain, and is not liable for indirect losses arising from your use of the platform. Nothing in these terms limits any right you have under Kenyan law that cannot be excluded.

Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and use your information.

Changes and governing law

We may update these terms from time to time; continuing to use BOWTT after a change means you accept the updated terms. These terms are governed by the laws of Kenya.

Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to info@bowtt.com. If something has gone wrong on a trip, see our Complaints & Support page.