Largest IT tech giant company Google, in a report, has announced that it would soon be going to offer the Motorbike Mode in the Google maps in Kenya, which provides the voice navigation service for bike riders in Africa for the first time.
Kenya, roads are full of motorcycles taxis which is known by the name as Boda Bodas, which are much cheaper rides to car taxis. Google parent company Alphabet, already provides the service in the Asian countries which includes India.
“For over a million Kenyans, boda-bodas are a convenient and affordable way to move and transport goods from one place to another,” Google said in a statement. “With Google Maps’ new Motorbike Mode, users across Kenya will now be able to get directions and turn-by-turn navigation, to suggest routes that are more efficient,” it said.
Streets in the Kenya towns and cities are often poorly signposted and much more congested, which also makes it hard for the Boda Boda drivers to pick up the customers when they hail them by the phone.
“What prevents us from picking some clients is lack of navigation. If the road doesn’t have a clear name and you are new to the area, you get lost,” said Ben Chelule, a 24-year old boda-boda driver in Nairobi.
Google also said in a report that it was soon going to launch its street view service in Kenya for the first time, which allows users to virtually explore with the help of its images 9500km that is 6000 miles of roads in cities such as the Nairobi and the holiday destinations such as the Malindi in the coast.
The company has also set up the initial cost of $992000 to train the Kenyan farmers in the digital transformation skills.
Google’s Kenya manager, Charles Murito, said the company had targeted farmers because it employed 40 percent of the population and accounted for a third of gross domestic product (GDP). “We want to see the power of technology elevate small-scale farming. We hope that through this initiative, we will see a positive impact on food security, job creation and GDP growth in Kenya,” he said
Written by: UDIT AGARWAL
