Tech in Africa
With strict Covid-19 era rules on social distancing and sustainability in policy-making required of a futuristic transport sector, micro-mobility solutions are the answer to existing urban mobility challenges. Demand for e-scooters and electric bicycles are on the rise and Europe – a trend that hasn’t gone unnoticed in other parts of the globe. In our case, we shall look at Rwanda.
Gura Ride is a public e-mobility bike-sharing transport company tasked with micro-mobility in Africa. Rwanda will be the first African country to pilot the eco-friendly public bike share (PBS) platform. The app has four ride packages; single rides, daily, monthly, and annual memberships.
Gura Ride was formed in 2017 by Agenor Jean-Louis and Tony B. Adesina. The company has a single app that supports electric bike-sharing, electric scooters, and smart bikes in their efforts to take over the first and last mile transport sectors.
Currently, Rwanda is developing bike lanes throughout the country’s major urban areas. This is part of the country’s vision 2030 to establish smart Green e-mobility networks. Rwanda has built a good reputation in terms of cycling given its own successful edition of the Tour du Rwanda. The adoption of the Gura Ride micro-mobility solution aims to solve a high pollution rate in urban centers, queues at bus stations, chocking infrastructure, and high transportation costs.
Cycling is a national activity across Rwanda that instills a sense of pride prompting the government to install biking lanes across Kigali’s roads and adjacent districts. Rwanda’s president too is an avid biker and heavily promotes the sport himself.
