Taxify, one of the fastest-growing ride-sharing platform has partnered with traffic police officers in Kampala to enhance training of boda-boda riders before using their application.
The development comes at a critical time when the country is grappling with increased road accidents.
For instance, a report released in 2017 by Minister of Works and Transport, Ms Azuba Ntege, showed that over 9000 people had died between 2014 and 2017, and there was a successive rise in each year.
Taxify, who launched in Uganda in 2018 — have decided to come up with measures to reduce improve road safety.
In a recent interview with The Nile Post, Taxify East Africa regional manager, Shivachi Muleji told a reporter the boda-bodas being the most popular means of transport in Kampala, they had decided to look “for practical solutions to help in curbing the rate of Boda Boda accidents.”
He said, according to that interview, that the cooperation with police was to ensure that riders are “equipped with skills and knowledge that will enable them to make the right decisions while on the road.”
The Taxify website indicates that boda riders are trained every day at 11am while drivers are trained at 2pm.
In addition to training, Muleji says that every riders, before getting activated on the application “is required to have a driving permit and a national ID.”
First aid and safety training are also necessary skills to ensure customer safety, according to the manager.
Taxify also provides two helmets, two reflector jackets and a first aid kit to each Boda boda driver.
Taxify Boda Boda currently charges Shs 500 base fare, Shs 70 per minute, Shs 400 per Km and Shs1000 minimum fare.
The above charges allow the riders to earn a better income than when operating an ordinary boda boda.
Some of the boda boda riders expressed optimism in the new project saying that people will start respecting and trusting them.
Taxify is one of Europe’s leading ride-sharing platforms, connecting millions of riders and drivers around the world to make travel easier, quicker and more reliable.
A recent statement by the company showed that more than 10 million riders and 500 thousand drivers are now using Taxify’s platform.
