‍Risk management as relevance - There is, however, a more encouraging thread in the conversation, one that the broader industry should pay attention to. Data. Not the kind that sits in reports, but the kind that changes behaviour. CTU is actively using claims data to identify patterns, hijacking hotspots, accident-prone areas, driver-related risks, and feeding that back into the market through brokers.  

This is where insurance starts to shift from payer to partner. When insights lead to fewer accidents, safer routes, better driver behaviour, that is real value. Not at claim stage, but before the claim ever happens. And in a country grappling with road safety challenges, that value extends far beyond the insured. It becomes social.

The overlooked role of the broker - In all of this, one role stands out more clearly than ever. The broker. In a highly intermediated model like this, brokers are not just distributors. They are translators, educators, and increasingly, co-creators of solutions.

They sit closest to the client. They understand the pressures. They see where products don’t fit. They know when affordability becomes a breaking point, and importantly, they are starting to influence product design, feeding insights back to insurers to shape more relevant offerings.  If we are serious about improving penetration in sectors like commuter transport, the answer will not come from product teams in isolation. It will come from ecosystems, and brokers are at the centre of them.

A broader reflection - There is a temptation to view sectors like taxi and bus insurance as niche. As specialist. As separate from the “mainstream” of insurance. That would be a mistake - Because what is happening here is simply a more extreme version of a broader trend. Affordability pressures. Underinsurance. Clients questioning value. Businesses making hard trade-offs.

The difference is that in the commuter transport sector, these pressures are more visible, and the consequences more immediate. When a taxi operator loses a vehicle without insurance, it is not just a claim event. It is a business shutting down. Jobs lost. Families impacted. A small but critical part of the economy disrupted.

Where to from here? - If there is one takeaway from this conversation, it is this: Insurance cannot afford to remain distant from the realities of the markets it serves. Not in product design. Not in pricing. Not in communication. Because where that distance exists, the market will respond in the only way it can. It will opt out.

The opportunity, however, is just as clear. Close the gap, through better education, more relevant solutions, and deeper collaboration, and the upside is significant. Not just in premiums written, but in businesses sustained, risks managed, and value delivered where it is needed most.

At the edge of the industry, where affordability meets reality, insurance has a choice. Be optional. Or be essential.

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