A boda boda cyclist says one way to be competitive in the rapidly changing passenger motorcycle industry is to have proper documents at all times.

Ismail Musaka, who operates in Kampala, admits that the industry is now more competitive than it was five years with more cyclists coming in.

Perhaps the biggest competition, Musaka says, comes from disruptive technology that has entered the boda boda industry over the past four years. With mobile phone app-based players such as Uber, Safe Boda and Taxify getting into the industry, competition for passengers is only getting stiff.

With these disruptive apps, it is possible to prearrange travel in a cheaper, more convenient and arguably safer way than the ‘normal’ boda boda cyclists.

Nicholas Kisemo, a cyclist says some of his colleagues are worried. “With Safe Boda and Taxify, our friends get free helmets and financial support from the company which some of us don’t get,” he said.

Kisemo represents a section of cyclists who are on a near collision course with the tech-based cyclists over such issues as loss of business.

Mustafa Lutalo, another cyclist puts it in terms of figures."I used to make between 100,000 to 200,000 a day that would go into feeding my children but not anymore."

But Musaka has other ideas. "I have no problem competing with these Taxify bodas because I have third party insurance and a licence,” he emphasized. He argues that with these documents he is confident to excel in what he called stiff market.

Musaka’s opinion is echoed by Dismas Kinene, another cyclist who plies his trade from around Namungoona. Kinene, who has been in boda boda business for 14 years, mentions have proper documents, keeping the motorcycle in good mechanical condition and being “clean” as key to being competitive. He adds one more: “Always be “kind and soft” to the passengers. Don’t bark at them.”

Musaka says organisations such as Document Processing Centre have been helping boda boda cyclists to get proper documentation.

The Uganda Police Force estimates that there could be as many as one million boda boda motorcycles in Uganda.

A February 2018 United Nations report of Uganda’s Road safety Performance Review indicates that in Kampala, the boda boda industry has grown by almost 59 percent per annum since 2007. By 2014, according to the report, there were about 405,124 motorcycles in Kampala, up from 15,979 in 2007.

The report says this evolution responds to what researchers called urban mobility needs where motorcycles have gained relevance “as they provide a low-capacity transport mode for both urban and rural people.”