Retail company Carrefour in partnership with ride-hailing service company Little Cab have rolled out electric bikes to be used when delivering its online orders.
With the e-bikes, Carrefour anticipates to cut on fuel cost as well as promote online shopping and home deliveries.
Kenya ranked 54 among largest eCommerce markets in 2021 with a revenue of $1.7 billion (Sh201.96 billion), ecommerceDB database shows.
The biggest player in the Kenyan eCommerce market include mydawa whose revenue hit US$9 million in 2021.
Jumia and phoneplacekenya came second and third with $4 million and $3 million, respectively. Altogether, the top three stores account for 1 per cent of online revenue in Kenya.
Carrefour now seeks to offer a wide range of products, competitive delivery prices and the option of scheduled or immediate delivery, to suit customer needs.
The initiative is also part of Carrefour Kenya’s plan to increase the sustainability of its services and cut on carbon emissions.
Carrefour East Africa regional director Franck Moreau said the company is targeting to have up to 40 per cent of its online deliveries fulfilled using e-bikes by the end of 2022 following rigorous testing for mileage and efficiency.
"Micro mobility is the future of last-mile deliveries, and we are excited to be switching to electric motorbikes to reduce congestion and lower emissions whilst boosting Kenya’s sustainable development goals," he said during the launch on Thursday.
He said the fleet will initially consist of female riders, as the company strides to promote gender equality in the mobility industry.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that an average motorcycle is ten times more polluting for the air per mile than an ordinary electric-powered motorcycle.
UNEP’s Electric Mobility (Emob) calculator sows that a global shift to electric motorcycles could prevent 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
It would also save global motorcycle owners a combined $350 billion by 2050, largely because electric vehicles are cheaper to charge and maintain.