After unveiling a similar service in Singapore and Thailand among a few other countries, Google has finally made its maps navigation service available to motorcycle riders in here Kenya – a first for Africa. Kenya’s transport sector is dominated by motorbike riders that are famously known to access most remote areas especially in the cities but lack proper navigation assistance compared to other motorists using vehicles. Apparently, Google was all along aware of this disparity and with the new Motorcycle mode feature in Google Maps, motorbike riders will as well be able to utilize the most popular maps service.
Popularly referred to as Bodaboda, motorcycle taxis in Kenya have become part of our daily life, whether you are running late for an interview or just want to have an item delivered somewhere inaccessible by traditional public vehicle means “matatus”. The service will especially aid bodabodas navigate roads better by offering them a turn-by-turn navigation as well as advising them to avoid restricted roads while offering shortest routes to their destinations. The mode will also show estimated arrival times to help them manage clients’ expectations better.
While launching the service here in Kenya, Google also announce it would soon introduce its popular street view service in the country as well, this will allow both Kenyans and tourists explore up to 9,500 kilometers of roads including some of Kenya’s tourist destinations like Mombasa. Most developing countries like Kenya, lack enough street addresses and in most cases public transport means are not adequate. This has instead driven most locals to opt for motorcycle taxis instead, motorbikes are reasonably cheaper especially from aggressive manufacturers such as India and China.
How to use Google Maps Motorbike Mode in Kenya;
- On your Smart device that has Google maps installed, launch ‘Google Maps’ app
- Next, inside the app, go to Directions, usually indicated by a sign
- Choose destination
- At the top, select Motorbike sign
- Then Start