uberBoda, as its branded, is Uber\u2019s first motorcycle service offering in Africa, and second globally after Asia. For Taxify, it\u2019s the first two-wheel launch in any of the company\u2019s 20 plus international markets.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The moves come as Africa\u2019s moto-taxis — commonly known as\u00a0boda boda\u00ads<\/em>\u00a0in the East and\u00a0okadas<\/em>\u00a0in the West –upshift to digital.<\/p>\n Taxify\u2019s \u201cBoda\u201d button<\/strong><\/p>\n For Taxify, the reasons for entering the market were twofold, according to Kenya Operations Head Chisom Anoke. \u201cWe noticed there was a need for this service because boda boda\u2019s haven\u2019t been very well organized or regulated,\u201d he told TechCrunch from Taxify\u2019s Nairobi office.<\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing was people had to go search for boda bodas. We want to bring the convenience we brought to regular taxis to the boda bodas,\u201d said Anoke.<\/p>\n The company has upgraded its Kenya and Uganda apps with a \u201cBoda\u201d button to order a two-wheel taxi.<\/p>\n Taxify also aims to bring the average boda boda ETAs in Nairobi to under four minutes, the current norm for its car services.<\/p>\n Boda boda rates for Kenya will be 30 Shillings base then 15 Shillings per kilometer (\u2248\u00a0$.30 and $.15) compared to 85 and 30 for normal car service. Taxify takes a 15 percent cut, according to Anoke.<\/p>\n On safety, the Taxify will only hire boda boda taxi riders licensed by\u00a0Kenya\u2019s National Transport and Safety Authority<\/a>\u00a0(NTSA) and who have at least three years of experience.<\/p>\n Taxify will require their boda boda drivers have 2015 or later motorcycles that pass a company inspection \u201cto ensure the quality is on point and our clients are safe,\u201d said Anoke.<\/p>\n Riders using Taxify will navigate via direction voice prompts and headphones (from Google maps and other services). All riders will carry two yellow helmets and reflective jackets. Taxify is also working on a rider training program pilot with Kenya\u2019s NTSA.<\/p>\n UberBoda<\/strong><\/p>\n The prominence of motorcycle taxis in Uganda prompted Uber to launch uberBoda there, according to Africa GM Alon Lits. \u201cWe\u2019re all about localization and boda moves Kampala,\u201d he told TechCrunch on a call from Cape Town. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to be a part of the mobility solution in Kampala, we can\u2019t do that without having a boda product.\u201d<\/p>\n Uber\u2019s Uganda app will include an uberBoda request icon. uberBoda drivers must have proper motorcycle vehicle and taxi licenses to work with Uber, according to Lits. \u201cIn addition, we\u2019re ensuring all drivers have two helmets and reflective jackets for their riders,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Uber expects uberBoda passenger costs to average roughly a dollar per fare. Lits estimates \u201cthere are nearly 2 million weekly boda trips happening in Kampala.\u201d The uberBoda motorcycle service is starting with around 100 drivers.<\/p>\n As they gather research from early activity, both Taxify and Uber in Africa said they plan to look more deeply into motorcycle financing plans for drivers, expanded rider training, and ways to build more safety into the two-wheel taxi markets.<\/p>\n \u201cBy forcing Taxify boda boda riders to follow existing rules, like not riding more than two passengers at a time, it will rub off and have the kind of positive market disruption we want to see on the boda boda industry,\u201d said Taxify\u2019s Anoke.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we get more data as to drivers’\u00a0track records, that becomes a proxy for credit, which we\u2019ll look to roll out to the boda industry,\u201d said Uber\u2019s Lits. As TechCrunch reported, Uber Africa experiments with many things the company doesn\u2019t always do globally, such as cash payments and recently\u00a0launching moto-rickshaw service<\/a>\u00a0in Tanzania.<\/p>\n Other players<\/strong><\/p>\n Uber and Taxify aren\u2019t the only companies to enter Africa\u2019s motorcycle ride-hail market. Nigeria has startup\u00a0Max.ng<\/a>, which is actually more focused on last-mile delivery service.<\/p>\n And in Rwanda, where taxi-motos are highly used and\u00a0tightly regulated<\/a>, startup\u00a0SafeMotos<\/a>\u00a0has been active since 2015. The company offers its app to drivers and passengers to pinpoint pickup spots, meter fares, and facilitate payments. SafeMotos also plans to expand all woman boda boda services\u00a0and into Kinhasa DRC, co-founder Barrett Nash told TechCrunch recently in Kigali.<\/p>\n Rwanda also has\u00a0Yego Moto<\/a>, a Singapore based motorcycle ride-hail company. Yego Moto has 680 drivers and has logged 426,382 trips and 2.1 million kilometers on its Rwanda platform, according to a company spokesperson.<\/p>\n Market expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n On\u00a0Taxify’s\u00a0plans to expand its boda boda service to other\u00a0Taxify\u00a0African\u00a0cities and markets, \u201cdefinitely, we plan to scale it out,\u201d said company spokesperson Loreen Ajaimbo, though she wouldn’t\u00a0name any specific countries at the moment.<\/p>\n Uber Africa\u2019s Alon Lits said the company would look to expand uberBoda first in Uganda to Entebbe. He also mentioned Rwanda as a potential new market.<\/p>\n As for earning potential of East Africa\u2019s boda bodas, Taxify\u2019s Chisom Anoke referred to\u00a0a recent study<\/a>\u00a0by the Motorcycle Assemblers Association of Kenya. It pegged that country\u2019s 2017 two-wheel taxi revenues at $2.1 billion, surpassing the income of the Kenya\u2019s largest telco, Safaricom.<\/p>\n Of course, disrupting that market may not be welcomed by everyone. Both Uber and Taxify\u2019s moves into Africa\u2019s four-wheel taxi spaces have\u00a0brought protests<\/a>\u00a0by traditional drivers over the last several years. Time will tell how Kenya and Uganda\u2019s non-digital boda boda pilots respond to their new ride-hail competition.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
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