Africa-Press – Uganda. Sales in in passenger service motorcycles commonly referred to as ‘boda bodas’ dropped by 20 per cent in 2020, statics from industry players suggest.
Majority brands of motorcycles on market dropped in sales in a Covid-19 dominated 2020.
For instance, Bajaj recorded a 20 per cent drop in sales of 2020, TVs recorded a 12 per cent drop and the Simba brand fell by 11 per cent.
Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki dropped by 53 per cent, 20 per cent and 64 per cent respectively.
Mahindra recorded the worst drop, registering 100 per cent drop in sales in 2020.
However, other motorcycle brands such as Hero, Haojoe attained increased sales during the year at 140 per cent and 277 per cent respectively.
The drop in sales is partly attributed to the effects of covid-19 such as restricted movement during lockdown as well as the negative impact on the economy.
There was also a shift in movement from public means during lockdown to private means which led to a hike in demand and the price of different means of transport especially bicycles.
The information was revealed by India based manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, Hero MotoCorp- which hit and surpassed a cumulative production of 100,000,000 units recently.
Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hero MotoCorp said: “lt is a significant landmark and also an affirmation of the inherent capabilities in India and Hero’s Brand appeal.
He added that the company is committed to keeping up with operational success and sustainable practices towards evolving engineering.
“We are going to continue to ride our growth journey. In keeping with our Vision to ‘Be the Future of Mobility’ we will be launching a host of new motorcycles and scooters over the next five years, in addition to expanding our global footprint,” Dr Munjal said.
Motorcycles have been increasingly growing popular in Uganda, fuelled by ride hailing businesses such as Safe Boda, Uber and Taxify among others.
The increase in motorcycle penetration is also partly attributed to dedicated credit companies offering purchase of motorcycles on loan such as Tugende.
Media reports reveal that information from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) shows that Ugandans registered 103, 169 motorcycles in 2018/2019, the highest number ever in a single year.
It was an increase from 49,635 motorcycles registered in 2017/2018 of which the annual average registration is 50,000 motorcycles.
