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Thailand Company Wins Patent In Africa For Motorcycle Taxi Tech

Thailand Company Wins Patent In Africa For Motorcycle Taxi Tech

Thailand-based World Moto, maker of motorcycle taxi technology, has secured a patent in 16 African countries for its moto-taxi fare metering technology, the company said in a press release.

That’s important because Africa has an estimated 5 million motorcycle taxis — almost 30 times more than the number of auto taxi cabs in the U.S.

World Moto designs, manufactures, markets and sells Moto-Meter products. Its devices include Wheelies, which display static and streaming media content on motorcycle wheels; HailYes, a smartphone app for on-demand motorcycle transport; and Moto-Meter, which the company claims is the world’s first motorcycle taxi meter.

The patent, awarded by the 16-country African Intellectual Property Organization (AIPO) means more than a quarter of all motorcycle taxis worldwide are now covered by the patent, according to World Moto.

Photo: World Moto
Photo: World Moto

Based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the AIPO organisation was created by Bangui Agreement of March 2, 1977. AIPO countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Togo, and as of 2013, Comoros.

Mototaxi operators are messengers, deliverers, and personal assistants. More than automobile taxis, this is a strategic segment that needs to be captured to become a global leader in local transport and commerce, said Paul Giles, CEO and founder of World Moto, in a prepared statement. His is one of the only public companies actively pursuing this industry, he said.

Africa has the world’s largest population of motorcycle taxis, the company said. The patent protection it secured gives it coverage of an area representing more than half the continent’s population.

African cities are choking on their own growth, and motorcycle taxis, known as okada or boda boda, are the unlikely heroes, Mail&Guardian reported.

In Douala and Lagos, motorcycles outnumber regular minibuses two to one, but in Kampala, it’s six to one, according to the sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Program published by the World Bank.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the motorcycles are the preserve of the poor who cannot afford private vehicles, but the data suggests otherwise.

Motorcycle taxis provide jobs for entrepreneurial young Africans. On the downside, they contribute to a significant percentage of traffic injuries, TheGuardian reported. In 2013, for example, motorcycle riders comprised 22 percent of Tanzania’s traffic fatalities and 25 percent of injuries.

Moto-Meter said it anticipates potential sales exceeding $5 billion for the company over the patent’s lifetime.

World Moto filed for patent protection of its Moto-Meter technology in 61 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas — countries that cover most of the world’s motor taxi and autorickshaw fleets and population. With the addition of the 16 African countries, World Moto said it now has patents in 36 percent of the targeted territory.

World Bank estimates that the number of motorcycle taxis will increase by more than 50 percent in the next five years, the company said.

World Moto said it expects saturation of the Moto-Meter to reach 100 percent within three years of introduction in any given market.