Overview: the reality behind digital labour in Uganda
Globally, digital labour platforms have been hailed as a path to greater flexibility and access to work. Yet new research focusing on Uganda’s boda-boda riders—motorcycle taxi drivers who are essential to daily mobility—reveals a contrasting picture. While apps and platform-based dispatch systems offer more trips, they have not reliably converted informal, precarious work into formal, protected employment. The study highlights how drivers, often operating in urban hubs like Kampala and other fast-growing towns, remain outside the regular protections of labor law, social security, and formal earnings records.
What the study found about earnings and protections
Many boda-boda drivers rely on platform apps to connect with passengers, but the pay model frequently leaves drivers earning irregular incomes. Fares can be unpredictable due to surge pricing, demand fluctuations, and competition among drivers. While some drivers appreciate the freedom to set hours, this flexibility often comes at the cost of predictable weekly income, health coverage, retirement savings, or paid leave. Because most drivers operate as informal workers, they rarely access formal contracts, employer-provided benefits, or grievance mechanisms.
Why digital platforms haven’t delivered formal work
Experts point to several structural barriers. First, many boda-boda operators operate as sole traders or family businesses with minimal business registration. Second, licensing and regulatory frameworks in Uganda often lag behind the scale of platform-driven activity, leaving many drivers outside formal employment categories. Third, platform terms of service can reclassify drivers as independent contractors, limiting liability for the platform and reducing the likelihood of collective bargaining. Finally, the high turnover among riders makes collective action more challenging—drivers may fear losing access to ride requests if they complain or organize.
Safety, protection, and social security gaps
Safety remains a major concern. Accidents, long working hours, and exposure to traffic risks are common, with limited access to affordable health care or injury compensation. Without formal employment, drivers often face higher costs for vehicle maintenance, fuel, insurance, and licensing. The study notes that while some drivers benefit from micro-insurance schemes and community cooperatives, these are unevenly distributed and frequently rely on voluntary participation rather than mandated protections.
Implications for policy and the digital economy
The findings carry important implications for policymakers, platform operators, and development programs. A key takeaway is that digital platforms must align with local labor realities to advance formal employment. This could involve clearer pathways to formal registration, portable benefits tied to earnings, and enforceable safety standards. Multi-stakeholder approaches—combining government regulation, platform accountability, and rider associations—could help ensure that the benefits of digital mobility reach drivers without eroding labour rights.
What could work in practice?
Potential policy options include expanding access to social protection for informal workers, offering portable benefits that accrue with earnings across the platform ecosystem, and creating inclusive regulatory environments that encourage formal business registration among boda-boda operators. Training programs on road safety, financial literacy, and business management could empower drivers to negotiate better terms and manage incomes more predictably. The study also suggests that support for driver cooperatives or associations can improve bargaining power and ensure safer, more sustainable working conditions.
Conclusion: reframing the digital economy for informal workers
Digital labour platforms have transformed how work is found and performed, but in Uganda they have not automatically translated into formal work or stronger protections for boda-boda riders. For the digital economy to be truly inclusive, stakeholders must design models that recognize local livelihoods, ensure safety and social protections, and provide clear routes to formal employment without eroding workers’ autonomy.
