Uber, a ride-hailing company, launched its first electric motorbike service in Africa on Thursday in Kenya as part of its effort to make its worldwide platform emissions-free by 2040.

According to Kagiso Khaole, Uber’s general manager for sub-Saharan Africa, the deployment in Kenya would be followed by a “potential announcement” this year for the remainder of its markets in the region.

Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa are among Uber’s additional markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

Within six months, 3,000 bikes, or little under a fifth of its fleet, will be part of Uber’s new environmentally friendly offering in Kenya, called Electric Boda in an homage to the Swahili word for motorcycle taxis.

According to the firm, consumers of the platform would pay 15-20% less than they would for a typical Uber motorbike trip, and drivers will experience a 30-35% reduction in operational costs.

“You will experience lower vibrations, less sound,” Khaole said.

Uber has already run small electric bike experiments in Kenya, which gets more than 90% of its energy from renewable sources and has been promoting itself as a centre to lead Africa’s transition to green transport.

Lack of suitable electric charging infrastructure and related equipment has hindered the expansion of the electric car market in Africa.

In order to save drivers time, local businesses have been establishing battery-swapping stations in big cities like Nairobi.

By the end of 2024, Kenya’s President William Ruto stated he wanted to see more than 200,000 electric motorcycles on the road, up from the current 2,000.

Kenya has a large motorbike transportation industry that employs millions of individuals who are unable to find regular employment.

(Adapted from USNews.com)  

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