Charge at home
A normal socket and the charger that comes with the bike. You pay only for electricity: about KSh 1.35 a km, against about KSh 2.90 a km to swap.
Electric boda bodas and tuk tuks
Riders spend up to 60% of what they earn on fuel. Charge a Ruka at home for about KSh 1.35 a kilometre and keep the difference.
WhatsApp RukaSources at the bottom of the page.
Your working day
Put in what you spend on petrol and how far you ride on a normal day. We price the same distance charging at home.
Example numbers. Change them to your own.
Every 100 km
How we work it out: electricity at KSh 30 per kWh, a 3.24 kWh battery giving 80 km (the low end of our range), plus 10% lost while charging. Battery wear: a KSh 60,000 battery lasting 1,500 charges, about KSh 0.50 a km. Swapping: KSh 230 per swap for 80 km. Servicing savings are extra: no oil changes, spark plugs or clutch plates.
Be your own boss
Plug in at home at night, ride all day. No queue at the pump, no swap station taking a cut. What you save is yours to decide.
A normal socket and the charger that comes with the bike. You pay only for electricity: about KSh 1.35 a km, against about KSh 2.90 a km to swap.
A swap gives you whatever battery is on the rack. Your own battery has one careful owner: you.
Put what you keep towards:
Your day: 120 km
With two batteries, one charges while you ride the other. A battery is yours to look after: a replacement costs KSh 30,000–60,000 after 3–5 years of heavy use.
When petrol prices go up, you spend more to do the same trips. That means less money to take home.
Kenya buys petrol from other countries. When there’s trouble there, petrol can become expensive or hard to find here. You spend time queuing for fuel when you could be carrying customers and earning.
With your own Ruka electric bike, you can charge at home before heading to the stage. Most of Kenya’s electricity is made right here, so you depend less on petrol coming from abroad.
Your bike. Your earnings. More control over your day.
Our bikes
For riders carrying passengers and parcels every day.
For passenger routes and delivery work.
Finance
Possible financing routes
Each lender makes its own decision on which bikes it finances and who qualifies. Electric boda instalments in Kenya typically run about KSh 150–550 a day.
Tick what you have. Nothing is sent anywhere. You get your own list of what to sort out.
Get a bike
Your answers go straight into a WhatsApp message to Ruka. Check it, then tap send.
Before you switch
Ruka electric motorcycles are expected to cost KSh 150,000–200,000, depending on the model. Pay cash or in instalments through a lender.
Depending on the model, one charge covers 80–200 km. On longer days, carry a second charged battery.
Owning costs more at the start and less every day: about KSh 150 per 80 km including battery wear, against about KSh 230 for a swap.
Yes. An electric motor has far fewer moving parts: no engine oil, spark plugs, clutch or exhaust to wear out. Fewer parts to fail means less time in the garage and more time earning.
Where our numbers come from