Uber Kenya’s E-Bike Option Grows in First Year

The electric motorbike option introduced by Uber Kenya one year ago has registered a 94% increase in the number of trips around Nairobi, with the number of e-bikes and riders also growing at a phenomenal rate.

In collaboration with e-mobility firm, Greenwheels, the Uber electric boda option has seen an annual growth from 50 riders to about 500 riders – due to an increase in bike numbers and the accessibility of battery-swapping stations. According to Greenwheels CEO, Nabil Anjarwalla, every Uber Electric Boda trip offsets 85 grams of Carbon from the environment – going a long way in sustaining efforts to combat climate change. Greenwheels, which now owns about 500 electric bikes for its riders, has also scaled up its maintenance and tech department from three people last year to 75 people in yesterday’s commemoratory event. “We are proud to mark this milestone in powering Kenya’s transition to green mobility in collaboration with Uber. In our first year, we’ve already carried over 700K passengers and travelled more than 12 million kilometres on electric motorcycles, and there’s more yet to come,” said Nabil Anjarwalla. 

Uber Electric Boda has seen a manifold increase in riders signing up for the green option. The ride-hailing company alludes this to the advantages of e-mobility that they can leverage on; including low maintenance costs, ranging between 30% – 35%, which allow drivers to retain more of their income. 

“The introduction of Electric Boda on the platform has given drivers an additional avenue through which to access increased earnings. Furthermore, it remains a top priority for us to continue doing our part to aid the transition to eco-friendly mobility products and support the country’s national sustainability objectives,” said Imran Manji, Head of Uber East Africa.

Greenwheels’ vision is to formalize the boda boda sector in Kenya, which remains immensely popular but largerly disorganized. In Greenwheel’s business model, the company employs the e-bike riders and pays them a regular salary and allowable advance picks every month, as well as bonuses calculated from each individual rider’s earnings for the day.

“As we continue to scale, we’re committed to the reduction in carbon emissions, providing formal employment and stable income to motorcycle drivers, and contributing to helping Nairobians move around the city in a safe, convenient way,” said Anjarwalla. 

To change their batteries, the e-boda riders can visit about 100 battery-swapping stations interspersed across Nairobi. The Greenwheels headquarters along Riverside Drive in Westlands serves as a major charging station with the largest stock of batteries in East Africa (400 e-bike batteries) and also serves as a parking for the e-bikes after a day’s work. The bikes’ batteries have an average mileage between 80 to 90 kilometers. 

Greenwheels said that there is a lot that remains to be done in terms of power availability for EV-battery charging stations. A source told The Kenyan Wall Street that Kenya Power (KPLC) still has costly conditions in place hindering the expansion of EV-charging stations. 

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