Bodaboda operators want technicalities in electric motorcycles fixed

Nyeri,

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

KNA by Samuel Maina

Bodaboda operators in Nyeri want all underlying challenges being experienced within the electricity sub-sector addressed before they replace the petrol-run motorcycles.

Nyeri bodaboda chairman Charles Ndegwa says they are not opposed to transitioning to eco-friendly motorcycles only want a well-organized program that will ensure challenges detected by riders in Mombasa are fixed before the units are rolled out to the rest of the country.

Among the issues Ndegwa wants fixed include the calibration of the engine's speed and the establishment of power-swapping sites in major towns where riders can have their bikes charged.

The official also alleged that electric motorcycles are quite uneconomic compared to the conventional ones that run as the former can only cover a maximum of 50 kilometers after which they need recharging.

“Electric motorcycles are very good. The only problem is that the manufacturers are not making them accordingly. Most of them are very slow and their batteries cannot run for more than 50 kilometers without recharging.

 Secondly, most counties lack the necessary swapping bays where we can take the motorcycles for recharging. Nevertheless, once such measures are put in place, we will try them out. As long as the new motorcycles will enable our young men to earn a livelihood, we are not opposed to them, “he told KNA.

Spiro, the company behind the manufacture and supply of electric motorcycles in Kenya intends to introduce more than 1 million such units into the country as part of the government's initiative to shift away from fossil fuels.

The company further plans to create battery charging and swapping stations across the country as the rollout takes shape in the coming days.

Since its inception just over a year ago, Spiro has rapidly penetrated the African e-mobility market such as Benin, Togo, Rwanda, and Uganda.

On road safety, Ndegwa says more than 200 riders of his members have been sensitized by the Traffic Police department on the need to adhere to the established highway code to avert accidents during this festive season.

 He stated that as an association, they will not allow any of their members without a valid driving license and an updated insurance certificate displayed on his motorcycle to ferry passengers anywhere in the county.

“We have requested our members to observe a high level of discipline during the Christmas and New Year festivities. We have warned them that speed thrills kill. It is important for each one of us to know we are needed again next year to continue discharging our duties in ferrying passengers to their destinations,” he said.

“We are also warning those who do not have proper documents like road driving licenses and insurance stickers for their motorcycles to just keep off the roads. And for those who want to venture, let them have those documents renewed to avoid clashing with security officers,” he appealed.

 On Monday Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed that the country had lost a total of 3,999 people to road accidents between January and December 7 this year.

Murkomen noted that the number has reduced from the 4,352 recorded within the same period in 2022.

Over the last four years, the National Transport and Safety Authority (Ntsa)has raised concerns over the steady increase in accidents caused by boda boda operators.

According to statistics from NTSA motorcycle transport was ranked as the most dangerous type of mode of transport in 2022 recording a total of 1,209 fatalities.

Private vehicles came in second with 1,104 fatalities compared to 1,172 in 2021.

Commercial vehicles recorded 1,079 fatalities compared to 1,019 in 2021 while Public Service Vehicles had 626 fatalities compared to 534 in 2021.

Overall, at least 4,690 people lost their lives on Kenyan roads in 2022, the authority’s 2023 economic survey shows.

 On average Kenya records an average of 3,000 deaths emanating from road accidents annually placing the country among nations with the highest road carnage.

Courtesy; KNA