Boda Boda tours in Jinja and Kampala – combined with Gorilla trekking and wildlife safaris in Uganda
Boda boda tours in Jinja and Kampla – Boda bodas are bicycle and motorcycle taxis for public transport commonly found in East Africa. While motorcycle taxis like boda bodas are present throughout Africa and beyond, the term boda boda is specific to East Africa in Uganda and Kenya, where they originated at the border where people used to cross border to border hence obtaining the name and they are more frequently called piki pikis.
Boda bodas have become not only a major component of livelihood but also a common means of transport used throughout the entire country. This business could be Uganda’s second largest employer after agriculture. However, this is a worrying trend considering its low contribution to economic growth. At this rate, the boda boda business could be the second largest employer of Ugandans, and are now even used by tourists especially in cities and big towns where traffic is too much. For those some National Parks in Uganda tourists use public transport and acces the National Park by boda bodas, but they are manly used within towns and cities like Jinja and Kampala mostly.
Findings indicate Nigeria is the largest importer of motor cycles from India followed by Angola with Uganda coming in at third position. The bulk of Africa’s motorcycles are imported from India, which has a market share of more than 65 per cent. India manufactures the Bajaj Boxer and TVS brands, some of the most popular motorcycles across Africa and Uganda in particular. Uganda ahead of Kenya and Tanzania has the leading importer of motor cycles in the East African region.
About two decades ago, Ugandans woke up to a new form of transport business the bodaboda.
The business laid its foundation in the continued growth of traffic with passengers searching for alternative means to the inconveniencing public transport.
More than 70 per cent of Ugandans use public transport as their main form of transport, according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics. However, the irony is that 85 per cent of these motorcycles are not owned by the riders themselves but make a dependable livelihood for both the urban and rural youth. The above scenario partly explains the meticulous growth of the boda boda economy in a period of less than 15 years.
Sustained growth has also attracted manufacturing companies in Uganda establishing assembling plants and service centers.