Uber South Africa is exploring switching to electric motorbikes for its Uber Moto service, which is aimed at riders wanting quick, short-distance trips.
The company launched its first fleet of electric cars in Johannesburg last month. Uber Go Electric allows commuters to pay entry-level prices like those for Uber Go. It has 70 electric cars on the road already, and 350 will be on the streets by the end of January.
Uber Moto launched in February 2025 in Johannesburg. What started off as a pilot project in the north-western suburbs – areas including Braamfontein, Melville, Brixton, Fordsburg and around the University of Johannesburg, has now seen the service grow to over 20 areas in the city by last month.
The ride-hailing giant told TechCentral that the bikes and drivers used for the service are provided through its fleet partner, Africa Moova, a collective of local taxi associations.
“The bikes used for Uber Moto are not electric at present. However, we are actively exploring electric two-wheel options with our partners as part of Uber’s broader sustainability commitment. This aligns with our long-term goal to support a fully electric fleet by 2040 and to introduce greener mobility options over time,” said Deepesh Thomas, GM for Uber sub-Saharan Africa.
Despite their widespread use elsewhere on the continent, motorbikes have not traditionally been a popular transport mode in South Africa. The intention of Uber Moto is to test an affordable last-mile solution in dense urban corridors where mobility gaps are most visible. Fares start at around R18.
New category
The service can now also be found in areas like Sandton and neighbouring Alexandra, with thousands of rides completed every month, said Thomas.
Speaking at the launch of Uber Go Electric, he said the expansion of Uber Moto demonstrates how low-cost mobility can create access for riders and more predictable earning potential for drivers.
“This was a brand-new category we entered into. The fact is that the majority of South Africa’s population still don’t have access to reliable, affordable transportation. We had a simple task as a team … what can we do to improve the lives of the 40% of people that actually have to end up walking 2km to 3km a day?
Read: Uber going electric in South Africa
“We [have since] expanded the use case; it’s not just those people that are excluded, but also to those people who use it for reliability. I saw the other day a person wearing a suit like me with a laptop bag on the back of a motorbike being dropped off in Sandton of all places. A couple of years ago, we would never have imagined something like that,” he said.
Asked what Uber’s timeline is to launch Moto in other South African cities, the company said its priority is to scale it up responsibly. Expansion will be guided by supply readiness, it said.
“That means ensuring every driver who joins the category is fully trained and vetted, and that we maintain a strong safety standard for both riders and earners. By taking this approach, we can bring Moto to more cities in a way that supports affordability, reliability and long-term sustainability for the category,” it said.
Electric bikes can boost driver earnings in cities with strong charging or battery-swap networks, thanks to lower running costs and more uninterrupted time on the road. Uber already uses electric bikes for deliveries in several markets through its partnership with Valternative Energy.
In a TechCentral Show interview in October, Takealot Group CEO Frederik Zietsman said that although there are advantages to going electric for last-mile delivery bikes – including higher earnings potential for drivers as they spend less on fuel – EV adoption is dependent on the right infrastructure.
“They work on this battery-swap infrastructure. You just drive into a petrol station and there’s a vendor there that you can swap your battery out. We need to partner with them and get funding into that channel. I think that’s a fantastic opportunity for anybody that wants to look at investment,” he said. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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