Nairobi’s traffic jams are not just slowing commuters; they are also worsening air pollution across the city. A Finnish company now wants to use electric ride-sharing to tackle both problems at once.
Juha Suojanen, the CEO and founder of EkoRent, is promoting Nopia Ride in Nairobi after launching the business in Helsinki as an electric car rental app. The new service is being positioned as a lower-cost, zero-emission alternative in the city’s crowded taxi market.
Ariadne Baskin of the Electric Mobility Unit said the shift away from fossil-fuel transport is essential. She said Nopia Ride combines shared transport with electric mobility, and that scaling such models can reduce the number of vehicles on the road, ease congestion and cut energy use and emissions.
Suojanen said Nairobi was chosen for the company’s first international expansion because of its rapid growth and transport challenges. He said the market offered both business potential and a chance to support cleaner urban transport outside Europe.
The company says its electric model allows it to keep prices down while improving driver earnings. Suojanen said drivers do not have to pay for gasoline, which means they can earn 30 to 50 per cent more than with Uber or Taxify while passengers pay less.
Nopia Ride has been operating in Africa since August 2018 and is now expanding its infrastructure. The company is building charging stations and has set a target of 1,500 vehicles on the road by the end of 2021.
Suojanen said the company wants to prove the model in Nairobi before moving into other African cities.
Story credit: UN Environment.
