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Articles by Tom R Courtright
Africa’s electric promise
Far from Tesla’s troublesome year on the stock exchange, electric vehicles (EVs) are making a splash – or, more literally, kicking up dust – in many African cities like Kampala, Uganda. As Constant, a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) rider, pulls up to me on the road, the only sounds his motorcycle makes are the running of the chain and the tread of the wheel.
Apps Struggle in Kampala
By Kalungi James As boda bodas have taken over much of Uganda's roadways over the years, causing widespread concern several boda boda apps have emerged, aiming to corner a market on digital ride-hailing and provide a more convenient and safe alternative to traditional hailing methods.
Uganda's Boda Bodas - Half a Century of Getting to Places, Madly
50-odd years ago, Ali Mayende's innovation in the border town of Busia sparked a revolution that has become the lifeblood of East African public transportation. Ali Mayende has passed on. In the early 1970s or late 1960s, he tied a white handkerchief to his bicycle handlebars and began ferrying passengers from Busia, a small town on the edges of Eastern Uganda to the border.
Uganda’s boda bodas: Half a century of getting to places, madly
Photo credit: DiasporaEngager (www.DiasporaEngager.com). By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Translate » Source of original article: African Arguments (africanarguments.org). The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of Global Diaspora News (www.GlobalDiasporaNews.com). To submit your press release: (https://www.GlobalDiasporaNews.com/pr). To advertise on Global Diaspora News: (www.GlobalDiasporaNews.com/ads).
Uganda’s boda bodas: Half a century of getting to places, madly
Ali Mayende has passed on. In the early 1970s or late 1960s, he tied a white handkerchief to his bicycle handlebars and began ferrying passengers from Busia, a small town on the edges of Eastern Uganda to the border. Half a century later, there are around five million boda bodas across East Africa, where they have in turn been labelled saviours, predators, death traps and the fastest way to get anywhere. Yet almost no one seems to know the man who started it all.
The Boda Gaali
By Kalungi James In the bustling city of Kampala, amidst the chaotic traffic and honking horns, there is a unique mode of transport that has stood the test of time - the boda gaali, also known as the bicycle boda or bicycle-taxi. The boda gaali can be seen weaving through the streets of Kampala and near most fresh-food markets transporting passengers and / or luggage.
The Chanzo Morning Briefing – April 7, 2023. - The Chanzo Initiative
Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, April 6, 2023. ‘No Cause for Concern’: Tanzania briefs foreign ambassadors on the status of Marburg Virus Disease Tanzania has briefed ambassadors representing their countries to the East African nation on the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) status, assuring them that the country is safe and there is no cause for concern.
Report: Tanzania Has the Largest Number of Electric Vehicles in East Africa
Dar es Salaam. A new report has found that Tanzania has the largest number of electric vehicles (EVs) than all EVs in East Africa combined, with over 5,000 EVs estimated to be on the road. The report, titled The Barriers to E-Mobility in Tanzania, is part of a two-part series in collaboration with UN-Habitat and the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) on the barriers to and policies for electric mobility in Tanzania.
The role of governance in boda boda safety reforms
Reflecting on The Wheels of Change-safe and sustainable motorcycles in sub Saharan Africa, a report by the FIA Foundation and co-authored by Lubyanza editor Tom Courtright, a reader can come away with a sense of optimism about our ability to solve road safety problems. Out of the nine countries where the surveys and observations were conducted, according to the report, Rwanda comes away as a shining example of compliance with motorcycle taxi safety.
The Promise of Online Bodas
By Alon Muhame Anyone who has ever visited Uganda's capital city will be familiar with the sight of boda-boda stages, groups of motorcycle-taxis closely agglomerated within each other's arm's length. Traditional boda-bodas do not operate from any formal infrastructure but may be seen in groups in city corners and road edges/shoulders waiting for passengers next to the road.
Uganda’s SafeBoda wants to be a super app, but some riders are abandoning it
Sulaiman Kamweso, 43, has been driving a motorcycle taxi in Kampala since 2009, carrying customers through morning and evening traffic jams that often stretch from the city center to the dusty roads of the city’s suburbs. It’s his sole source of income, with which he supports a family of seven. In 2017, he signed up with Uganda’s first motorcycle ride-hailing company, SafeBoda.
The ubiquitous motorcycle taxis are back. So are the problems associated with an unregulated and neglected sector, but they can be solved. In Kampala, boda bodas can be found on every street, shooting between police cruisers and NGO vehicles stuck in never-ending traffic jams.
African Arguments
The ubiquitous motorcycle taxis are back. So are the problems associated with an unregulated and neglected sector, but they can be solved. In Kampala at an e-mobility parade in November 2021. Credit: Tom Courtright. In Kampala, boda bodas can be found on every street, shooting between police cruisers and NGO vehicles stuck in never-ending traffic jams.
Stage Guys Part II - Stage Relationships
This is Part II of a series on boda boda stages in Kampala. Find Part I on how stages are created here. Across Kampala, groups of boda boda drivers gather and wait for passengers at busy intersections, by shops, near schools, churches and supermarkets. From the stage, as it is known, boda drivers most important relationships are with local business owners, residents, passing drivers, and authority figures.
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