Electric mobility needs to include the drivers who keep cities moving

Ask people in Kigali, Kochi or Accra how they got to work this morning, and many won't say "by bus". They might have hopped on a moto, squeezed into an auto-rickshaw, or waited for a trotro to fill up before it left the station.

We talk a lot about electric buses and charging stations, and we should. But these smaller vehicles carry a huge number of everyday trips. Most of them are run by drivers who own or rent a single vehicle and work long hours to make it pay. If electric mobility is going to reach the people who travel this way, we have to think about these drivers too.

Why start here?

There's a practical reason these vehicles are a good place to start. They usually cover short distances, often on the same routes, and go back to the same spot at the end of the day. That makes charging much easier to plan than for, say, a long-distance truck.

The benefits are easy to see, too. An electric motorbike or three-wheeler generally costs less to run and has fewer parts that wear out. For a driver, that can mean a bit more money left at the end of the week. For people living along busy roads, it means less noise and fewer fumes outside their door.

So why hasn't everyone switched?

Mostly because of the upfront cost. If your vehicle has to earn money every single day, you can't afford to gamble on something new. A week off the road, or a battery that doesn't last as long as promised, is a real problem.

This is where support makes a difference. Drivers need loans or payment plans that match how they actually earn, which is often daily and not always predictable. They need mechanics nearby who know how to repair electric vehicles and handle batteries safely.

Retrofitting, converting a petrol vehicle instead of buying a new one, can bring costs down. And charging or battery swapping needs to be where drivers already wait for passengers, not on the other side of town. Drivers should also have a say when cities make rules for the sector. Their associations and cooperatives know what will work on the street and what won't.

While we're on the subject of who drives these vehicles: very few are women, and the same goes for mechanics. Training can open up some of these jobs, and we think that's worth doing.

What we've seen in our work

At UEMI, we've run training on electric vehicles, retrofitting and battery safety, and worked with universities, companies and local governments to help create jobs in e-mobility. In our Living Labs, cities try out new mobility services with residents and businesses before scaling them up. And our work in delivery and logistics has shown us how much a good training course can change for someone looking for work.

If there's one thing we've learned, it's to bring drivers and operators in early. They know their routes, their passengers and their costs far better than we do.

Looking ahead

Electric buses and charging networks will probably keep getting most of the attention, and that's fine. But in a lot of cities, everyday trips happen on two or three wheels or in a shared van, and the move to electric needs to include them.

You can find out more about our projects on our website, and follow UEMI on LinkedIn for updates.