Bodas reach saturation in Kampala
The bodaboda industry has gone through significant changes over the last few decades, becoming a leading mode of transportation across Uganda and a major source of employment rated second only to agriculture.
In the capital city, Kampala, boda riders are in such abundance their small motorcycles outnumber all other vehicles combined. Stages on every road and outside every major building feature bodas resting between trips or waiting for passengers, while the streets themselves are heaving with motorcycles carrying passengers and every load imaginable. Some drivers mill about as they try to look for passengers, a strategy known locally as “kubyanza” (a driver moving this way is a lubyanza).
The business that started with humble bicycles at the Kenya-Uganda border has seen the transition to motorcycles, starting with BMK importing used Japanese motorcycles in 1994, up until today’s still-young introduction of electric motorcycles.
Conversations with motorcycle-taxi operators reveal the shift of people from other sectors to the boda business. As well, youth who are just joining the working class find it easier to join bodaboda than it is in any other sector. This has led to the rapid increase of the number of boda riders, mushrooming of boda stages and motorcycle garages, and introduction of motorcycle loan schemes that have enabled the majority of boda riders to own motorcycles or get on the path to ownership.
The coming of ride-hailing apps may also have increased the number of boda riders in Kampala, by reducing the cost of trips (thus encouraging passengers to use bodas) and allowing riders to enter the industry without having to go through a stage. Ride-hailing apps have recruited long-time boda riders as well as new entrants to the business. In addition to that, they made motorcycle ownership easier through partnering with third parties to offer motorcycle loans to their subscribers. These third party arrangements made loan processing times shorter, and upfront charges lower than what the market could offer.
In such a situation, motorcycle dealers across Kampala had to follow suit. Many motorcycle loan schemes reduced processing time and reduced upfront requirements.
“These days it’s easier to get a motorcycle on loan. You can even get it in one day.” said Jimmy, a boda rider in Makindye. “That’s why we have too many boda riders now”. Lowering the barriers to entering the bodaboda industry has had knock-on effects on riders’ negotiating power.
”We no longer have a chance to bargain with the passengers because every time a passenger stops one boda, many other bodas stop,” added Ssemuyaba, another boda rider. “So the passenger chooses the one who is willing to take the least amount.”
While the boda saturation is a problem for boda riders, it should benefit passengers who can use the transportation service anywhere, anytime, at costs dictated by themselves with minimal objection from the riders. The passengers’ bargaining power rises so high that the boda riders lose control over their earnings as they dance on the passengers’ tunes.
Can the boda saturation be controlled?
“There are no jobs in Uganda,” remarked John Lugendo, a long time boda rider in Kawempe. “The youth who want to start working are joining bodaboda, and whoever fails elsewhere joins bodaboda.” Such a trend invites more bodas onto the road.
As long as unemployment remains a problem in Uganda, people will surely continue to join bodaboda in large numbers, especially since there are decreasing barriers to entry and motorcycle dealers are mostly interested in acquiring more customers. So trying to control the saturation can meet significant resistance. But it can be easier if more jobs are created and/or people are guided towards alternative sources of income.
Is there a saturation point at which no more bodas should be allowed in a given area?
This could be marked by some indicators monitored by the relevant authorities. It could mean having a policy overhaul, putting into scrutiny the indirect benefits of the boda industry: spare parts sellers, garages, micro-finance institutions, washing bays, and so on.
Key points of monitoring could be at importation, where a specific number of motorcycles could be allowed in a given period of time. Another could be at registration, where registration plates could indicate the areas of operation of the motorcycles. And another could be at sales points, where motorcycle dealers would be required to guide the buyers on restriction arrangements set by the relevant authorities.
Without specific rules to govern the inflow, distribution, and utility of motorcycles, the boda operators will keep increasing in number and will flock to wherever they expect frequent trips or better earnings such as in the CBD. As well, considering the current rate of rural-urban migration, many more will come to town in search of employment and the majority will find bodaboda a welcoming industry.
