Uber, a ride-hailing startup, 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.