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The Documentary: The Boda Boda Boom: The Boda-Boda Boom - Part Two

Boda-Boda Motorcycle Taxi

01/03/2016 GMT

The Boda-Boda Boom - Part Two

The Boda Boda Boom

BBC World Service - The Documentary, The Boda Boda Boom, The Boda-Boda Boom - Part Two

The start-ups in Kampala trying to make the boda-boda - motorcycle taxi- a safer industry

Alan Kasujja meets the start-ups in Kampala trying to make the boda-boda - motorcycle taxi - a safer industry, and the Kampala authorities and traffic police trying to regulate it

For many Ugandans boda bodas – motorbike taxis – are the transport of choice; quick and cheap, they are a vital way of getting around congested cities and remote villages alike. The bikes have also become one of the best ways to make a living among young men at a time of high unemployment. But they are deeply divisive, loved and loathed in equal measure, and a sharp growth in road accidents involving boda bodas is putting huge pressure on resources.

In this episode, Alan meets the start-ups in Kampala which are trying to turn the industry around by making it safer and enabling riders to increase their profit margins. He speaks to the Kampala City Authorities and the city's Traffic Police to find out whether it is possible to control this sprawling industry, and whether there are other means of employment for the riders. Alan meets Kampala's only female boda boda rider and also explores the political pressures on this hugely lucrative but unregulated industry.

(Photo: Motorcycle taxis, called Boda-Boda in East Africa, carry passengers quickly and inexpensively in Kigali, Rwanda. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Documentary: The Boda Boda Boom

Alan Kasujja visits Uganda to explore the rise of the boda boda - motorcycle taxi.

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