Automotive & transport
Boda bodas, buses and the electric shift: marketing new mobility
Chrisphine Otieno · 19 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Across East Africa, electric mobility is moving from pilot to street. Electric motorbikes and battery-swapping stations have appeared in Nairobi, Kampala and Kigali; electric buses are entering some routes; charging companies are mapping the cities. With fuel prices high (EPRA's cap for petrol in Nairobi rose to KES 226.96 a litre for 15 October to 14 November 2026, Techish reported), the economic case for many riders is getting stronger.
Yet the switch is slower than the maths suggests. A boda rider's motorbike is their livelihood. They will not switch until their questions are answered by someone they trust.
The questions riders ask
- How far can I go on one battery? In real conditions, with a passenger, in traffic, uphill
- Where do I charge or swap, and how long does it take?
- How much do I save per day? Compared with fuel, in shillings
- What happens when it breaks? Spare parts, mechanics, warranty
- How do I pay for it? Upfront, lease-to-own, daily payments
- Will my passengers like it? Comfort, speed, reliability
Each of those is a short, practical video.
Show it in real streets
Electric mobility marketing often looks futuristic: shiny bikes in empty studios. Riders want the opposite: a bike in real Nairobi traffic, at a real swap station, ridden by someone who looks like them. The AK1 model in Tari Studio leans towards that documentary realism. Attach photos of your actual bikes and stations so the video shows your real network. How attachments work.
Numbers must be honest
Range, savings and charging times are the heart of the pitch, and the easiest things to exaggerate. Use figures from your own fleet data, state the conditions, and update them when they change. Riders compare notes at every stage. An overpromised range will spread faster than any ad.
Explain the money
Many riders will use lease-to-own or daily payment plans. A short explainer, written with /script and checked by your finance team, showing the daily cost against daily fuel savings, makes the decision concrete. Scripts with /script.
Speak the rider's language
Set the voice, dialogue and on-screen text to Kiswahili, Kenyan English or the Kiswahili-English mix. For Rwanda and other francophone markets, French is available.
Use riders as messengers
Riders trust other riders. A recurring character, a cheerful e-boda rider, can carry a series of explainers; add the character once and the Studio keeps them consistent. Real riders who have switched are even better, with their consent. Characters.
Lead to a test ride
Nothing converts like a test ride. End each clip with where and when to try one, and a WhatsApp link to book. Tracked links show which video brought each rider. WhatsApp and leads.