Africa | May 14, 2019

Uganda’s SafeBoda raises Series B funding to improve motorcycle taxi safety

Jessica Pothering
ImpactAlpha Editor

Jessica Pothering

ImpactAlpha, May 14 – Road traffic accidents are responsible for 225,000 deaths in Africa each year. That’s more than 60 road fatalities on the continent each day.

Kampala-based SafeBoda is trying to improve road safety among passengers and drivers of Uganda’s popular motorcycle taxis, called boda bodas. SafeBoda has secured an undisclosed amount of Series B funding from Allainz X, a venture investing group within insurance giant Allianz, and Go-Ventures, the venture investing arm of Indonesian transport company, GO-JEK.

SafeBoda, which launched in 2015, has developed a boda ride hailing app, and requires drivers on its platform to go through a safety training program that includes driver safety, first aid, bike maintenance and customer care. Drivers and passengers must both wear helmets.

The company operates alongside another Kampala-based startup, Tugende, which also addressees boda safety through its lease-to-own motorcycle financing business.

SafeBoda previously secured a $230,000 convertible note from the USAID and Omidyar Network-based Global Innovation Fund. It raised a $1.1 million Series A funding round last January, DigestAfrica reported.