Uber is now in the electric bike business in Kenya. Today, the e-hailing company announced the launch of Electric Boda, a fleet of electric motorcycles that will be used by riders to convey passengers in the capital city of Nairobi, Reuters reports. Some 3,000 electric bikes will be distributed out to riders in Nairobi in the next six months as part of the project.
“We are doing our part to aid the transition to eco-friendly mobility products and to support national sustainability objectives,” Imran Manji, Uber’s head of East Africa said of the launch.
With Electric Boda, Manji noted that prices for trips will now be further slashed by 15 to 20 per cent. “The launch of Electric Boda will provide Kenyans with one of the most affordable ways to move from one place to another, with prices 15-20% below the price of our existing product,” Manji said.
The move immediately positions Uber as a company for the future, with this climate-friendly fleet that comes at a time when the agenda of climate activists has made its way into national and foreign policies across every corner of the globe.
Uber said in its statement that “drivers will see a 30-35% drop in their operating costs, and users of the platform will pay 15-20% less than they do for a regular Uber motorbike trip.”
However, Uber will not be involved in the day-to-day management of the fleet. It said in its statement that Greenwheels Africa, an e-mobility company focused on electrifying motorbikes will take on the task.
“The company will oversee all bike-related logistical matters, including maintenance and charging; according to reports Greenwheels Africa plans to increase its charging spots in Nairobi to ten by the end of the year,” the statement said.
As part of its managerial duties, Greenwheels Africa will oversee the functioning of the motorcycles including charging the bikes and if the need should arise, changing flat batteries for faulty ones.
Although Uber and its fleet partner intend to sell the bikes to the riders in the future, Greenwheels Africa will only lease the bikes to the riders, through “a collaborative partnership between Greenwheels Africa, Uber, and the riders.”
“Now is the time to take solid steps that enhance sustainable practices and as a business, we are committed to being part of the collective efforts to reduce the carbon footprint,” Frans Hiemstra, the general manager for Uber in the Middle East and Africa region said. “Through the launch of Electric Boda on our platform, we are proud to provide an option for emissions-free mobility in Kenya,” he concluded.
Read also: Uber declares first-ever profit in history in Q2 2023
The move towards Electric Boda for Uber
This push towards an electric future has been long coming for Uber, but especially for its operations in Kenya, one of the few big economies in Africa that have not pushed against the extinction of motorcycles as a means of transportation. In fact, President Williams Ruto of Kenya has aggressively argued in favour of electric motorcycles, vowing in July to support the acquisition of electric motorcycles in the country and reduce the cost of financing them.
In March, Hiemstra said that Uber wants 25% of kilometres driven by its cars to be electric by 2030, starting with South Africa, albeit he didn’t speak about motorcycles then.
The move comes as the world has begun to aggressively move away from petrol, which for the past century has remained the dominant means of powering cars, motorcycles and generators. But as war, unrest and in recent years coups have struck many oil-rich regions, the future of the once influential oil business has become ever more bleak.
Global economies also have in recent years begun to see electric-powered vehicles as the next frontiers with many leaders setting aside billions of cash to fund huge investments in chips and batteries development, design and future manufacturing.
Uber said it will become a zero-emission company by 2040. This is its first electric mobility product in Africa.
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