In Kenya, Uber is now in the business of selling electric bikes. Reuters reports that the e-hailing company announced the start of Electric Boda, a fleet of electric motorcycles riders in Nairobi that will be used to take people around.
As part of the project, about 3,000 electric bikes will be given to riders in Nairobi over the next six months.
Imran Manji, Uber’s head of East Africa, said of the launch, “We are doing our part to help the transition to eco-friendly mobility products and to support national sustainability goals.”
Manji said that with Electric Boda, trip prices will decrease by another 15% to 20%. Manji said, “When Electric Boda comes out, it will be one of the most affordable ways for Kenyans to get from one place to another, with prices 15-20% lower than our current product.”
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Kenya’s move
With this climate-friendly fleet, Uber is quickly positioning itself as a company for the future. This comes at a time when climate activists’ goals have made their way into national and international policies in every part of the world.
In a statement, Uber said, “Drivers’ operating costs will go down by 30–35%, and platform users will pay 15-20% less than they do for a regular Uber motorbike trip.”
But Uber won’t be running the day-to-day operations of the fleet. It said in its statement that the job will be done by Greenwheels Africa, an e-mobility business that specializes in making motorcycles run on electricity.
“The company will handle all logistics related to the bikes, including maintenance and charging,” the statement said. “Reports say that Greenwheels Africa plans to add ten more charging spots in Nairobi by the end of the year.”
Greenwheels Africa manages motorbikes, including charging and replacing dead batteries.
Although Uber and its fleet partner want to sell the bikes to users in the future, Greenwheels Africa will lease them through “a collaborative partnership between Greenwheels Africa, Uber, and the riders.”
Uber Middle East and Africa general manager Frans Hiemstra stated, “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. “Through the launch of Electric Boda on our platform, we are proud to provide an option for emissions-free mobility in Kenya,” he said.
Uber is switching to Electric Boda
Uber has long been pushing for an electric future, especially in Kenya, one of the few major African nations that has not opposed motorbike extinction. Kenyan President Williams Ruto vigorously defended electric motorcycles in July, promising to boost their purchase and lower financing costs.
Hiemstra stated in March that Uber wants 25% of its car kilometres to be electric by 2030, starting in South Africa, but he did not mention motorcycles.
The move comes as the world moves away from gasoline, which has powered automobiles, motorcycles, and generators for a century. War, turmoil, and coups in many oil-rich regions have made the future of the once-powerful oil industry increasingly grim.
In the past few years, global economies have also started to see electric cars as the next big thing. As a result, many leaders have set aside billions of dollars to invest in chip and battery development, design, and future manufacturing.
Uber said that by 2040, it will be a business with no pollution. This is the company’s first electric car in Africa.