XAccess builds on prior work in Kenya with Bigga Boda Trial Market

In April of 2005, Xtracycle Access Foundation Director Paul Freedman travelled to Kenya to begin an ambitious 10 month trial market of the world's lowest-priced utility bicycle, the Bigga Boda.

We are thrilled to be making a contribution to what is fast becoming one of the biggest bicycle success stories in the world. In the city of Kisumu alone, where XAccess triallmarket will be based, there are 800000 people and 10000 Boda Boda.

Because of this, Kisumu has bypassed smog, pollution, parking problems, road death, and urban congestion associated with the automobile.

But despite the good news, the Boda Boda operators in Kisumu are getting by with a technology platform that barely meets their needs. The Chinese and Indian made bicycles they use are not equipped with enough cargo capacity or adequate safety features. And, with the exception of one or two towns, the government of Kenya has not invested in bicycle lanes or bicycle paths, despite the fact that bicycles play a central role in the transport of nearly all goods.

It is our long-term goal to introduce affordable innovations that will help the bicycle economy of Kenya expand. With the right technology, and with proper support from the Kenyan government, the bicycle economy can create thousands more jobs, and reduce the cost of essential goods like bread, water, and cooking fuel. Kenya is the largest economy and the technological leader of East Africa. So, if we can succeed in Kenya, we will have a relatively easy time expanding our reach to Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

The Bigga Boda Load-Carrying Bicycle Trial Market is the first step towards that long-term goal. With this project, we will:

• produce approximately 50-100 Bigga Boda load-carrying bicycles
• develop a marketing program that identifies the most affordable ways for people to purchase or rent the Bigga Boda.
• closely track the individual owners and renters of the Bigga Boda bicycles to determine whether the Bigga Boda can improve their livelihoods.

Why Kenya?

Kenya has an enthusiastic bike culture. This taxi driver has decorated his bike to make it stand out from the many others.

Strong bike culture. People in Kenya understand the value of bicycles and are ready to respond to a bicycle innovation such as the Bigga Boda.

Poverty. People in Kenya earn an annual income of under US $400. It is a tremendous challenge to release a new product here that the average person can afford, but it is all the more important to do so. The country is in transition from a subsistence economy to a cash economy. People need income, but they face 40% unemployment, and new opportunities for businesses are scarce. XAccess can open up a host of entrepreneurial opportunities by creating an affordable transportation solution individual micro-entrepreneurs.

A world-class partner: Our primary partner in Kenya, Kickstart International, formerly ApproTEC, has over 10 years experience developing and marketing affordable human-powered technologies. Their Money Maker irrigation pumps have helped thousands of small family farmers turn their Shambas into businesses. According to their internal monitoring findings, new incomes from Kickstart innovations "account for over 0.5% of Kenya's GDP." Kickstart are experts in manufacturing in East Africa, and have proven system of marketing and monitoring.

Strong NGO community: In addition to Kickstart, Kenya (and particularly the city of Kisumu, where our project is based) is home to many leading NGOs. This will be a benefit to XAccess when we need to find a micro-financing partner.

Transportation crisis: Years of corruption have left Kenya without a viable infrastructure for car-based economic growth. Traffic jams in Nairobi and potholed roads to the other major cities drive up the costs of driving. Bicycles can fulfill a critical economic role while creating jobs, and are less impactful on roads than cars and trucks. While the bicycle can't replace the truck for inter-city transport, it can and does effectively deliver the last mile of goods to most Kenyans.

Project Background:

Former XAccess director Adam French traveled to Nairobi in 2001 to work full-time from ApproTEC's headquarters in October 2001. Working alongside a 14-person ApproTEC engineering team, he led a design process that ultimately halved the cost of our lowest-price load-carrying bicycle.

Having Adam on the ground in Kenya also enabled us to see the transportation options firsthand. In an email dispatch in early 2002, he wrote:

"What makes the roads here so nuts? For the driver of a 7 ton truck to break even he must carry 10 tons. Most carry 14 looking for profit. At this level of use most Japanese (i.e. affordable) trucks remain profitable for two to three years of use, after which time maintenance costs outstrip profits. The results - massive amounts of deferred maintenance, and overloaded trucks driven by underpaid drivers racing to keep in business."

The name "Bigga Boda" was inspired by the Kenyan bicycle taxi operators, who call themselves "Boda Boda". That name came from the days in which the Boda Boda phenomenom began about 12 years ago, in the border town of Busia. Since the Kenyan and Ugandan officials did not allow vehicles to travel in the no man's land between the two nations, the bicycle taxi service filled a valuable niche, carrying goods and ferrying people. Their "Border! Border!" call morphed into "Boda Boda".

In 2005, Boda Boda operators are seen in all reaches of Kenya. Our job is to figure out how to use our affordable bicycle transport technologies to make an economic impact in Western Kenya, to create new jobs and wealth at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

We would like to thank our donors for making the Bigga Boda Trial Market possible.

Street mechanics, or Fundis, maintain the bicycles that keep the economy of Kenya moving. Here, XAccess director Paul Freedman observes as a mechanic named Kennedy hammers a new bearing cup into the wheel of a Bigga Boda demo bike. Fortunately, every major street has a Fundi.

Many of the tools of the trade for street mechanics are improvised or salvaged. The tool above is a truing stand for aligning wheels.

First day in our Kisumu workshop. Project Lead Alex Waweru and Technical Lead Ed Lucero discuss the plans for setting up workbenches.

An honor to say the least. The former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya reviews a draft of the workshop rental lease prepared by XAccess director Paul Freedman.

Nairobi has extremes of both wealth and poverty. This jumping castle at a birthday party in the upper-class district Westlands shows how Kenyan tastes are defined by American behaviors. Kenya's taste for automobiles is similarly driven by a desire to follow the lead of western countries.

More extremes in Nairobi: This food court in a modern shopping mall featured a restaurant called "Taste Of Africa".