'Filling the middle': Uganda's appropriate transport services

Uganda developed bicycle-based passenger and goods transport services in the 1960s. They were complemented by a motorcycle-based version in the 1990s. These have extended the range and capacity of services, known locally as boda boda. Both have spread over the entire country and the bicycle version into neighbouring Kenya. This paper explains the origins of boda boda, the factors conditioning development, its operating characteristics and the problems they face. This analysis is used to examine the benefits boda boda services have brought to the poor. Boda boda operate where more conventional services are uneconomic or physically impossible. They are found in urban and rural areas where they act as feeder services to the towns or major public transport routes. Because of limited capacity and short trips fares per kilometre are two to seven times those of large-capacity buses. Popularity derives from their ability to meet demands other services cannot. While the poorest make only occasional use, due to low incomes and high costs, for many they enhance income by extending the range and intensity of productive activities. Their main impact on the poor is through the employment provided. Operators are drawn from the least educated classes and each supports five dependants. About 1.7 million people, or 7% of the population, receive part of their livelihood from the industry.