Counting riders online

Harare’s bikers, one message away.

Send anything across Harare on WhatsApp. Fair price first, a checked rider, a code at the door.

Ride with Doorstep

No app to download and nothing to sign up for.

A Doorstep rider in a flame-orange jacket rides a commuter motorbike down a Harare avenue of msasa trees in copper leaf at golden hour, a charcoal delivery box behind the seat.
Rider available Rider on a job A parcel travelling from Highfield to Borrowdale: 18.6 km, fair price $10.

How it works

Four steps, all of them in one chat.

  1. Say hi on WhatsApp

    No app and no sign-up. Tell Doorstep where to collect and where it is going, typed the way you would tell a friend, or send a pin.

  2. See the fair price, then make your offer

    Doorstep works out what riders usually accept for that distance. Offer that, or any amount you like.

  3. Choose your rider

    Offers come back as a list: name, price, minutes away, rating and trips. Pick one, or tap Best rider for me.

  4. A code closes the job

    You forward a 4-digit code to the person receiving. The rider enters it at the door, and you get “Delivered”.

A WhatsApp chat with Doorstep. Tariro sends a parcel from Highfield to Borrowdale. Doorstep shows a fair price of $10 for 18.6 km, three riders respond, she picks Farai at $10, receives the code 4827 for the recipient, and is told the parcel was delivered at 14:32.
9:41

Fair price, live

Fair price first. Then you decide.

Before you offer anything, Doorstep shows what riders usually accept for the distance. Offer that, or any amount. Try it on a real trip.

$1.50 to start, plus $0.45 per km of road distance, times the area and time factors. Rounded to the nearest 50c, never below $3.

CBD at peak hours
×1.10
Ruwa, Epworth, Chitungwiza
×1.15
After 6 pm
×1.20
Heavy rain
×1.15

Fair price Live Estimate

$0.00

Pick two different suburbs to see a price.

Asking the pricing engine

Distance
0.0 km
Ride time
about 0 min
Low-offer warning
$0 and under

    Doorstep’s pricing engine could not be reached, so this is an estimate from straight-line distance. The price you get on WhatsApp is the one that counts.

    You can offer the fair price or any amount. The rider is paid directly.

    Highfield Borrowdale your offer: $10

    3 riders want this job

    Best rider for me Highest-rated rider who accepted $10

    • Farai Accepted your price

      6 min away 4.9 214 trips

      $10

    • Rudo M. Accepted your price

      9 min away 4.7 41 trips

      $10

    • Tendai Counter-offer

      3 min away 4.8 98 trips

      $11

    The bike and its plate number are sent once you have chosen.

    Choose your rider

    Offers come back as a list. One tap books the rider.

    The best-placed riders see your offer first. Each one accepts your price or asks for a dollar or two more, and a counter-offer is always labelled.

    What every offer shows

    Name
    First name only.
    Price
    And whether it is a counter-offer.
    Minutes away
    Time to reach the pickup.
    Rating
    From senders, with a cushion for newcomers.
    Trips
    Deliveries he has completed.

    The first five minutes

    1. 0 s

      Offer goes out

      To the best-placed riders nearby.

    2. About 45 s

      First list of offers

      One message, with a button to see them all.

    3. Every 30 s

      New offers added

      At most one update every 30 seconds, so the chat stays calm.

    4. 2 min

      No choice yet?

      If anyone accepted your price, the best-rated rider is booked and you are told.

    5. 5 min

      Request closes

      Offers expire. One tap sends it out again.

    Proof at the door

    A code at the door closes the job.

    Only the right person can close a delivery, and the person receiving never has to download anything or create an account.

    1. Tariro, the sender 4 8 2 7

      Doorstep sends the rider’s details and a 4-digit code, with a message ready to forward.

    2. Rudo, the recipient 4 8 2 7

      Tariro forwards it. Rudo gets the code and a tracking link, and installs nothing.

    3. Farai, the rider 4 8 2 7

      At the door Rudo gives the code and Farai enters it. The job closes and both sides are told.

      Delivered to Rudo at 14:32

    No code at the door? The rider taps “Recipient has no code” and Doorstep asks the sender to confirm on WhatsApp. Three wrong codes lock the job until the sender says yes.

    A kraft parcel sealed with orange tape waits on the stone step of a charcoal arched door with a round window, in morning light.
    9:41
    What the recipient sees: a simple web page, no app or account.

    For businesses

    Order from the counter phone.

    You already sell on WhatsApp. Sending works the same way: one message, a fair price, a rider at your counter, and a record of every delivery.

    • WhatsApp sellers

      Daily orders across town. Your customer pays the rider, and the code shows every parcel reached its door.

    • Pharmacies and bakeries

      Small, urgent, repeat jobs. A rider is usually minutes away, and the price is known before he sets off.

    • Offices and law firms

      Papers for a named person. Nothing is handed over without the code or your say-so.

    • Insurance agents

      Discs and policies out to clients, each trip time-stamped from pickup to door.

    A market trader hands a small kraft parcel across her vegetable stall to a rider in an orange jacket holding his helmet.
    Mbare, late morning. A seller’s order leaves the stall.
    A pharmacist passes a small paper bag across the counter to a rider with his helmet under his arm.
    Pharmacy counter
    At an office reception in the CBD, a receptionist hands a documents envelope to a rider in an orange jacket.
    CBD reception
    Portrait of a rider in an orange jacket with his charcoal helmet under his arm, msasa trees blurred behind him.

    For riders

    Jobs all day, and you keep 90% of every fare.

    Customers pay you directly, in cash or mobile money. Doorstep’s 10% comes out of a small prepaid wallet, so nobody chases anybody after a trip.

    One delivery, start to finish

    The customer pays you
    $9.00
    Doorstep’s 10%, from your wallet
    $0.90
    You earn
    $8.10

    What you need

    • Motorcycle licence A full licence, not a learner’s.

    • Bike registration book In your name, or with the owner’s letter.

    • National ID Plus a selfie taken in the app.

    How the wallet works

    • Held when you win a job The commission for that trip is set aside.
    • Taken when the code is entered The delivery is proven, so Doorstep keeps its share.
    • Released if the customer cancels You lose nothing you did not cause.
    • Minimum balance $2 Top up with PayNow whenever you like: EcoCash, OneMoney, InnBucks or a card.
    1. Download the app
    2. Photograph your documents
    3. Approved, usually the same day
    4. Top up the wallet
    5. Go online
    Download the rider app

    Android app, installed from this page. Joining takes about ten minutes.

    Trust and safety

    Checked riders, proof of delivery, and a plan for the bad days.

    • Checked riders

      Every rider’s motorcycle licence, bike registration book and national ID are checked before the first job. You see his name, bike and plate once you choose him.

    • Completion codes

      A photo of the parcel at pickup, and the recipient’s 4-digit code at the door. Every step is time-stamped, so a dispute is settled with evidence.

    • Ratings, both ways

      You rate the rider, the recipient can give a thumbs up or down, and riders rate senders. A person reviews every one- or two-star rating.

    When something goes wrong

    Every problem has a script. Doorstep acts first, tells you exactly what is happening, and gives you a one-tap choice.

    Not carried: cash, weapons, drugs, alcohol for under-18s, hazardous goods and live animals.

    Nobody takes your offer
    The offer widens to riders further out and you see the fair price again, with one-tap raises. After 3 minutes the founders phone riders nearby. Cancelling costs nothing.
    A rider cancels after accepting
    The job goes straight back out at the same price, first in line. Your code stays the same and you pay nothing extra.
    The rider is running late
    At 10 minutes late you choose: keep him, or swap to another rider free of charge.
    Nobody answers at the door
    The rider waits and you are asked what to do: wait 10 more minutes, leave it with someone you name, or bring it back.
    The code is lost
    Type “code” and Doorstep resends it, ready to forward. Without a code, the parcel is only handed over when you confirm on WhatsApp.
    A parcel is damaged or missing
    A case opens with the pickup photo, the times and the GPS points attached. The founders decide within 24 hours.

    Coverage

    All of Harare, from Budiriro to Borrowdale.

    Doorstep covers the city within about 35 km of the CBD, including Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa. Wherever the parcel starts, the job goes first to the riders closest to it.

    Riders online now
    00
    Suburbs covered
    00
    Deliveries completed
    0,000

    The live numbers can’t be reached right now. The map and the suburb list below still apply.

    Suburbs on the list today

    Avondale, Belvedere, Borrowdale, Budiriro, Chisipite, Chitungwiza, Dzivarasekwa, Eastlea, Epworth, Glen Lorne, Glen View, Graniteside, Greencroft, Greendale, Harare CBD, Hatfield, Highfield, Highlands, Kuwadzana, Mabelreign, Mabvuku, Marlborough, Mbare, Milton Park, Mount Pleasant, Msasa, Mufakose, Ruwa, Southerton, Tafara, Warren Park, Waterfalls.

    A stylised map of Harare with the main roads out of the CBD and the suburbs Doorstep covers. CBD Borrowdale Highfield Avondale Mbare Marlborough Greendale Waterfalls Kuwadzana Hatfield Mt Pleasant Glen View Epworth Mabvuku Highlands Mabelreign Warren Park Budiriro Mufakose Msasa Eastlea Milton Park CBD Borrowdale Highfield Avondale Mbare Marlborough Greendale Waterfalls Kuwadzana Hatfield Mt Pleasant Glen View Epworth Mabvuku Highlands Mabelreign Warren Park Budiriro Mufakose Msasa Eastlea
    Rider available Rider on a job Stylised map. Rider positions are for illustration.

    Questions

    Asked before the first parcel.

    Anything else, ask Doorstep on WhatsApp. A person in Harare answers.

    Do I need to download an app?

    No. You order on WhatsApp, and the person receiving just opens a link. Only riders use an app, on Android.

    How is the price decided?

    Doorstep shows the fair price first: $1.50 to start plus $0.45 per km of road distance, with a few area and time factors, rounded to the nearest 50c and never below $3. You can offer that or any amount. Riders accept, or ask for $1 or $2 more.

    How do I pay?

    You pay the rider directly: cash, EcoCash, InnBucks, OneMoney or Omari, chosen when you order. Riders see the payment method before they offer, so nobody is surprised at the door.

    Who are the riders?

    Independent bikers whose motorcycle licence, bike registration book and national ID were checked before their first job. Once you choose one you get his name, bike and plate number.

    What can’t I send?

    Cash, weapons, drugs, alcohol for under-18s, hazardous goods and live animals. A rider can refuse a parcel that looks wrong.

    What if nobody is home?

    The rider waits and Doorstep messages you. You choose: wait 10 more minutes, leave it with someone you name, or have it brought back. A return trip is half the fare.

    Can I cancel?

    It is free before a rider is matched and for 2 minutes after. Later it counts as a late cancellation, and if the rider is already at the pickup a $1 call-out fee goes on your next order.

    Where does Doorstep deliver?

    Across Harare, within about 35 km of the CBD. That includes Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa.