The E-Trade Association, an umbrella organization that converges companies and organizations that use the power of the internet to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in Uganda, has called for a removal of the motorcycle (Boda) ban after 7 pm to enable access to affordable transportation mobility for all Ugandans. The current difficult 7 pm curfew restriction has left many asking hundreds of questions, these include:

How will the majority of Ugandans who rely on boda bodas get home at 9pm after work? How will factory workers who work the late shift get home? Will supermarkets stay open late? Less than 1% of Ugandans own a car so this is not an option and Matatu (Taxi) coverage past 7pm is very limited and unsafe for users to walk from a taxi stage and reach the door of their home late hours after work.

The answer to these questions is clear; boda boda transportation provides a safer, efficient, affordable, convenient, last-mile and door-to-door, service country-wide. Banning Boda Bodas after 7pm will therefore make the journey back home on foot at night very dangerous for all Ugandans especially women, the elderly, and disabled.

As a representative of businesses large and small, the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry makes a statement on this concern:

“The Boda-Boda Industry is the second largest employer in Uganda after Agriculture and it provides a livelihood for close to seven million citizens in Uganda who would otherwise be engaged in illegal and illicit activities…It is also largely considered one of the cheapest and most effective modes of transport that facilitates business engagement. Research has indicated the Boda-Boda industry has revolutionalised the economy through bridging the gap of unemployment especially in the youth today.

Keeping the Industry under restricted movement (curfew) when the economy has finally opened up after two years is a disservice to the Business community that heavily relies on it as a primary facilitator for their business engagement in regards to the ease of movement of goods, services and personnel from one place to another.

The government should therefore reconsider its directives and instead train and emphasize the good practices on motorcycles operations in addition to the establishment of a well-updated database on commercial motorcycle activities for their sustainability and a regulated legal framework to the aspirations of the operators, customers and other road users” says Owomugisha Blessing Immaculate, Ag. Secretary-General – Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In Uganda, motorcycles enable millions of people to have the chance to participate in the economy everyday – getting to the market, delivering supplies, getting home after work, visiting a friend, getting to a meeting on time.

The sector is very important, directly employing over 1.2 million people. Boda bodas enable many small and medium scale businesses such as restaurants, bars, gyms and supermarkets to stay open late because employers are assured that there is an affordable last mile means of transportation that their employees can use to get home safely.

“Ever since the curfew was imposed, the best I could do was get daily food for my family, which many times has been quite difficult with the curfew restrictions. Now that schools and the economy have reopened, I still do not know how I am going to take care of my two sons and little daughter when the situation has not changed for me. I was hopeful when the President announced that the economy would be open this year.

I knew all would be well because I would go back to making some money from my customers. especially the party goers. Now I am left wondering where will I get money to support my family? I wonder what boda bodas did to the government,”

says a boda-boda rider in Kawempe division.

Whereas matatus or taxis remain a key transport service in Uganda, they are unable to go to the last mile, and cannot get people directly home. A 7pm curfew for boda bodas therefore means that businesses that could have stayed open longer will close earlier for the safety of their employees. This fact alone defeats the purpose of reopening the economy if people can not stay a little longer to make the money they have missed to make for the last two years.

E-Trade Association together with its partners calls upon the business community, regulators and general public to participate in the petition to end boda curfew through signing the petition.

We seek to engage Government decision-makers to consider allowing economic growth and prosperity by lifting the ban on transportation. As an association with a deep understanding of business and employment, we believe this can only be achieved if the Government removes the 7 pm Boda curfew to enable access to affordable transportation mobility for all Ugandans.

In a Tweet by Fitspa – the association representing the Uganda and global fintech community, SafeBoda which trades as Guinness Tech Uganda limited has ben authorized by the central bank to issue small and medium electronic money transfer services in the country.

The new licenses come at a time when the company is rolling out SafeBoda Wallet, a mobile wallet for SafeBoda App users that accept s deposits and withdraws from agent points. Also, the SafeBoda App already has money transfer features where a customer can send money to another customer at no charge.

But with the new licenses, it means, SafeBoda Wallet will evolve to compete with already existing mobile money transfer services like MTN Momo, Airtel Money, and of recent Wave Uganda. Well, with the service already active on the SafeBoda App, customers will be able to do more at little or no charges on in-app transfer services.

In a statement by SafeBoda, the company aims at driving its growth in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria where it operates, by scaling its hailing app to offer new payments and financial services to its customers, passengers, drivers and merchants in the regions it operates.

According to the company’s Vice President of Payments and Financial Services, Tim Jamieson, a pilot for working capital loans will soon be launched as the firm awaits its National Payments Systems (NPS) license from the Bank of Uganda. This is part of the SafeBoda continued evolution that has seen it expand its service offerings from a mere Boda hailing App to a food and deliveries platform, into airtime and payments among other services it plans to avail to its customers.

Jamieson inks that priority for working capital loans will be given to female-run enterprises as a way of boosting women inclusion in businesses since they rank as the majority financially class of people in the market. Among other innovative products in the pipeline where the company hopes to put Women on the frontline include the SafeBoda payments ecosystem, open-loop products, savings products, and alot more.

In doing this, the firm aims to provide a cheap ecosystem that allows its customers to send money across networks for free and drastically reduce the cost of withdrawing these funds, according to Jamieson.

“If you want to send UGX 5,000 across networks can cost you over UGX 1,000 to do so or UGX 2,000 if you are sending to two to three different networks; we think there is more that needs to be done here. Mobile money ecosystems form such a large part of the back bone of Uganda and Africa as whole, so there should be continuous improvements in how this is delivered,”

Jamieson explains

He alludes that while cash is still a predominant method of payment in Uganda and across the African continent, the COVID-19 pandemic has steadily attracted people towards cashless transactions presenting a golden opportunity for Financial Technology Companies (FinTechs) to grow with new solutions.

However, Jamieson says that there is a need to work together as an industry to share knowledge, technology, and regulatory stack while working with regulators to solve existing problems.

“We have a huge unbanked and underserved population; we have a high cost of time and money to access financial services and at the same time we have this amazing fast growing ecosystem of FinTechs that is coming through locally. We need to bring them together so that we solve these problems as together,”

Furthermore, he commends the Bank of Uganda for the NPS, which he says has provided a stringent regulatory framework that will give customers confidence that they can transact with electronic money service providers, including FinTechs, in a safe and secure way.

Much as Safeboda drivers are currently allowed on public roads, many have been heavily affected in terms of income and livelihood attracting attention from SafeBoda which has partnered with Yuvraj TVS to donate food supplies to over 3000 active drivers.

TVS contributed over 500 bags of 5kg maize flour to this cause, and the donation event was held at the SafeBoda Academy in Kyebando where eligible drivers have received a package of maize flour, beans, and additives for themselves and their families.

The donations have been done with strict observation of SOPs. Riders are called in different groups to pick up their donation (food). This process will be done in the form of a drive-through where there will be no physical contact between parties making sure all SOPs are observed. The SafeBoda is advised to leave as soon as he receives his package.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has left so many in our community struggling. When our people are affected, we also need to come in and help. This program will provide relief to the drivers who need it the most.”

says Ricky Thomson Rapa, SafeBoda’s Co-Founder and Director.

He adds that the donations are part of SafeBoda’s commitment to its value proposition of safety and well-being to its community of both customers and drivers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We shall continue to support our SafeBoda drivers in this trying moment. We urge everyone to keep observing the SOPs put in place to halt the spread of the virus.”

Through sharing User data with 3^rd parties without any notification or permission from end-users, SafeBoda gradually operates on the opposite side of Section 7 of the Data Protection and Privacy Act of Uganda.

Notably, SafeBoda uses a Facebook-owned System developed kit (SDK) which allows the Social media giant to routinely collect information about clients using the SafeBoda App.

Luckily, SafeBoda managed to fix the flaw by removing Facebook trackers from its App source code, But then introduced even more data sharing trackers in replacement.

Two trackers, Clever Trap and Amplitude still solicit user data from the SafeBoda App without user consent once the App processes are launched.

Basing on these two trackers, and the historical use of Facebook trackers, Unwanted Witness Uganda shared its backdoor concerns with the SafeBoda team and received a response on why the Boda hailing Wing continues to use the Clever Tap in particular.

I have spoken to the tech team about our use of Clevertap. Clevertap is an analytics tool that is used for tracking marketing communication and identifying product issues. It does not have the right to use that data for any purposes and as such is akin to the storage of data on AWS or any other storage/analytics tool. If you believe that it would be appropriate then we can amend our Customer Terms of Use that some data is stored on servers operated by third party data processors. The Data policies already make reference to ‘third-party data processors. 

– The SafeBoda response read

Clever Tap is a US-based mobile marketing company headquartered in Mountain View California and provides mobile App analytics together with user engagement products to over 800 companies worldwide.

Given the fact that CleverTap is not only an external tracker, but also has data-sharing allegations tamed to its brand name. Unwanted Witness went ahead to publish a list of recommendations SafeBoda can consider to stop user data sharing through App trackers:

For now, SafeBoda has not replied to the listed allegations of sharing user data with 3^rd parties contrary to its Privacy Policy listed on its multi-feature ride-hailing App.

But if the Boda hailing firm has been sharing user data to external services as revealed, the company will have to route through legal battles in countries where it operates, and Uganda as it’s base zone.

SafeBoda food which is the company’s major delivery service now holds a shop feature where a user can easily buy home essentials through the App.

Through leveraging new sellers and existing merchants on the SafeBoda app, users can now purchase basic needs ranging from food to market essentials including fruits and vegetables as SafeBoda inked in its quick usage guide:

• Craving for local food? Order Kya’kulya on SafeBoda app by tapping the food icon on your SafeBoda app and search for Kyakulya on the app.
• Fruits and vegetables? Tap on food delivery, type shop for groceries in the search bar.
• Thirsty? Coca-Cola? Rwenzori? Minute Maid? Order from Coca-Cola by selecting food delivery on your app, type shop in the search bar and select shop select.
• Working from home and need to send a document? Use “Send” on SafeBoda app
• Need to send money to a friend? Use “SafeBoda Wallet” on SafeBoda app
• Need to shop for home essentials, tap on food delivery, type shop in the search bar, tap shop shell select.

However, for users to get full and easier access to the SafeBoda services, updating the App comes in handy with rebranding on the App’s main dashboard with major alterations on the food & shop tab.

With free delivery on all orders, SafeBoda is not only utilising its over 10,000 active drivers base, but also posing stiff competition to Jumia which ranks as the bullish e-commerce delivery service in Uganda.

Recently, SafeBoda food became a reality as a service to allows customers order for their favorite dishes in a fashion similar to how rides are requested on the app

With a total of 4 services are currently offered by the Camp including Boda hailing, Food delivery, shipping (delivery), and Cashless transfer on the App, SafeBoda’s attempt in the money transfer league is next on its launch deck

SafeBoda Wallet is the new service currently accessible via a new domain SafeBodaWallet.com offering a waitlist option for customers who wish to have an early taste of the money transfer service.

Once launched, SafeBoda wallet will allow users to send, receive and withdraw money at low transaction rates. This means the service is a direct Fintech product being developed as a Mobile Money alternative

With such a wide catalog of services, will SafeBoda shine or it may follow the failed startups curve? Well, It’s a matter of time to see how the once fulltime Boda hailing camp will groove against its increasing competition lane.

Aside from the Boda hailing league, the taxi-hailing counter has little cab, Uber taxi and Bolt again shaking the league for a tight markup and Yellow Bird again has an entry to this coone. So, this is a ride-hailing firm that seems to have the same spirit Dial Jack founders inked during its cross over to Uganda and a fatal touch to take over as a hailing stressor to the big dogs in the yard.

Among the catalog of services provided by YellowBid as witnessed on their driver include Boda pickups, Cabs, health services and a connection of quick access to lawyers, designers, and engineers. In simple terms, YellowBird ships a different approach to the hailing industry with a heavy bunch of services to their norm.

Well, we’ve not received any insights and goals from the founders of the hailing startup. But the Company was founded in 2018 and is led by N.Loukenam as per its registry details with its headquarters sighted in Ntinda along Muteesa II road. All in all, No company has ever launched a direct 2 way approach to the ride hailing industry as YellowBird has proved to excel in the league with both a 2Wheel plus 4 Wheel solutions in 1 app.

By the time Uber cruised to Uganda, it had a single Uber X interface, the same way Bolt followed the trail with a single approach until early 2018 when the two taxi hailing leaders borrowed a lead from the Cashless trips mover SafeBoda to tweak the Boda hailing league. But since YellowBird already has a 2 in 1 approach, it must be that service that will shake things up in the ride-hailing industry except if odds dress it with Kenya’s Mondo Ride waivers.

In Nigeria, Gokada and Max are the current Boda hailing startups that will pose a head to head battle with SafeBoda in Nigeria. Though Uber has only launched its Boda hailing service in Kenya after Uganda the same way Bolt did before its rebranding season, it’s by no doubt that the ride-hailing giant will also follow the orange camp in spreading its 2 Wheel service to the Igwe capital.

The SafeBoda expansion to Nigeria comes at a time when one of its co-founders Ricky Rampa Thompson inked their plans to launch in more African countries the same way they did in Kenya. The Startup was founded in 2014 as a solution to the rampant unprofessional motorbike incidents affecting both passengers and the drivers before cruising to the digital era with an app in 2017.

Can SafeBoda survive in Nigeria?

Survival for the finest is the new wave that has cruised over to Nigeria with a clear edge to the competition mileage. With SafeBoda, Gokada, and Max operating in the same sphere, the race won’t be affiliated to the price tag but rather the quality of services provided to riders. More so, since SafeBoda was the first Boda hailing camp in the game with its roots growing from its academy area code in Kampala, it may just extend its wonders to an already enlighted zone.

Given the fact that Bolt once led the Boda hailing league before the orange camp regained its momentum with Uber joining the race as Dial Jack also picked interest in the profitable league. We believe the same strategy the Boda hailing beast picked up to regain popularity as the most used service in Uganda is the same caliber that will be shipped to Nigeria with driver numbers and reflector names winning the trust of major authorities.

In Uganda, talk about modern transport and listen to the rhythm of both the Taxi hailing sector and a Boda hailing wing dominated by Uber and SafeBoda respectively. Well, the latter has a unique cashless travel feature chronated as SafeBoda credit and its something we’re excited to explore as a great cash alternative

Imagine if you could request for a motorbike to your next destination and had no worries of paying an extra penny from your wallet? This is the credit advisory preached by the orange wing.

As a matter of fact, SafeBoda credit comes with a couple of benefits with the biggest featured as a discount on all trips taken without paying cash. Additionally, no taxes exist between the depositing links and usage rate now that mobile money tax is only applicable to withdraws.

Using SafeBoda credit

Any good service is rated by its reliability and upstream section of efficiency. With SafeBoda credit, efficiency and real-time trip initiations are drothers in the same zone. After each and every trip, the app slashes off a simple drop of your total credit as the trip fare without you worrying about any payments at your destination spot.

To use SafeBoda credit, all you need is a Yello or Smartphone network line registered on MTN Momo or Airtel Money respectively. Additionally, you need to signup or login to your Orange flated hailing app to deposit credit in a flip.

In case you have a mobile money cry out, you can choose to increase your Mokash or Wewole limit for some pay later cash. Other than that, follow these steps to top up credit for your cashless SafeBoda trips using mobile money.

Step1: Login to your SafeBoda account

Step 2: Click Payments and choose top up

Step 3: Enter amount and target mobile number to deposit funds from

Step 4: Approve mobile money transaction and re-open the SafeBoda app

Step 5: Check your credit balance under the Payments bar and travel cashlessly

Best Way to Top Up

Did you know that your Driver is actually a credit booth on the run? Well, all drivers now have the power to gift you some cashless credit in exchange for cash. All you need to do is ask a random SafeBoda driver to top up your account and pay back with cash. Here is a quick direction of the steps.

Step1: Ask the driver to sell you credit in exchange for cash

Step 2: Give the driver your account phone number

Step 3: Check if credit has been toped up and Pay the driver cash of the amount transferred

Step 4: Enjoy traveling without cash

Either way, the orange camp also has several credit centers with the central point of them all being their Kamwokya based headquarters where you can recharge your account by swapping cash for credit. So, if you can’t cope with the mobile money charges or drivers becoming rare like grasshoppers, you can choose to walk to any available recharge point

As the cashless revolution simply reflects what the future holds where cash will be a long-gone story for decades with no need to have a note/coin in your wallet. This can be evidenced through the previous OPEN API Cashless challenge where MTN is powering up Mobile money based solutions through its innovation challenge. More so, as Bolt and Uber ship credit cards as the only cashless top-up method, they’re also worth to craze up with for cashless travels.