As Rwanda’s electric mobility sector continues to scale, Spiro motorbike company has rolled out new digital tutorial systems across its operational centres, reinforcing correct bike usage and safety practices.
Speaking during a press briefing, at Spiro’s assembling plant in the Kigali Special Economic Zone, Country Director Arunkumar Bhandari said the initiative marks a shift from one-time onboarding to continuous, visible safety education tailored to real rider behaviour.
“With the scale we have reached, safety information must be available every day, not only on the first day a rider collects a bike. That is why we are embedding training into our daily operations,” Bhandari said.
This will be done through the deployment of digital screens at major battery swap stations, service centres and offices. These screens continuously display short instructional videos covering braking systems, battery handling, correct riding techniques and general road safety guidance.
The move follows internal assessments that showed knowledge gaps emerging when trained riders informally shared bikes with untrained users.
While Spiro provides training during rider onboarding, the company observed that safety risks increase when information is not consistently reinforced.
The screens complement refresher sessions at service centres and training videos shared through riders’ WhatsApp groups, creating what Spiro describes as a continuous learning environment rather than a single training moment.
According to the company, the approach is designed not to police riders but to normalize correct usage through repetition and visibility, particularly in high-traffic operational areas where riders stop multiple times a day.
Localized design backed by international safety standards
Beyond training, Spiro says its safety strategy is rooted in product design and testing. Bhandari pointed out that all Spiro motorbikes, batteries and swap stations meet internationally accepted certification standards, even in markets where such certification is not legally required.
“Everything we deploy is tested and certified before it enters the country. Safety is not something we add later, it is built into the product,” he said.
At the same time, Spiro has adapted certain features based on rider feedback and local operating conditions. One notable change involved braking systems.
Early models featured disc brakes, but the company later transitioned to a braking setup more familiar to local riders and easier to maintain, without compromising safety benchmarks.
Spiro began operations in Rwanda in April 2023 and currently has more than 15,000 electric motorbikes on the road, supported by about 700 battery swap stations spread across all 30 districts.
Safety, sustainability and long-term market confidence
Spiro’s safety investments run alongside its broader clean mobility goals. With each electric motorbike covering an estimated 150 to 180 kilometres per day, the company says thousands of fuel-based trips are being replaced daily.
“When you multiply that distance by the number of bikes operating every month, the environmental impact becomes clear,” Bhandari said.
He added that Rwanda’s electricity mix, largely hydro and thermal, aligns well with electric mobility ambitions, with future plans to integrate solar power into operations.
Addressing concerns from some franchise holders about electricity costs at battery swap stations, Bhandari said operational expenses are factored into a revenue-sharing model designed to remain sustainable as usage grows. As swap volumes increase, he noted, partner returns also rise.
Ultimately, Spiro says its expanding digital safety tutorials reflect a long-term view of the market. It is not about how many bikes are deployed, it is about how safely they are used and whether the system remains trusted years from now.
