Every day, thousands of bike-taxis weave nimbly through traffic in the western Kenyan city of Kisumu. A trip on one of the city’s new bike-taxis, or boda-bodas as they’re called, will cost you a lot less than a trip on one of the old smoke-belching matatu minibuses. They’ve also allowed many of Kisumu’s poorest residents to own their own small business for the first time ever. Improvements to the city’s bike industry have lowered production costs and sales of the pedal-powered alternative are booming. They’re so popular the city’s police are calling for safety regulations and the city council has started building special lanes for the boda-bodas to get downtown.
According to the UN, more than 70 per cent of us will be city-dwellers by 2050. With this surge in urban growth, many municipalities are recognizing the potential of the bicycle as an inexpensive, fast and healthy alternative that produces zero carbon emissions and creates sustainable cities.
