Smart Mobility: Using Assistive tech and digital mapping to promote urban accessibility
Can alternative transportation solutions improve accessibility in urban Kenya?
LOCATION | Kenya
SECTOR | Transport
TECH | AI, EV
TIMELINE | September 2023 - Present
PIONEER | Anne MacKinnon & Jacqueline Owigo
PARTNERS | GDI Hub
The Challenge
According to the 2019 census, in Kenya, 0.4 million Kenyans, 42% of persons with disabilities (Development Initiatives, 2020), reported having difficulty with mobility. Kenyan cities, however, are particularly inaccessible for people with mobility impairments, with uneven roads, crowded and inadequate public transport, few pavements, and inaccessible entrances, such as train stations and bus stops. It is widely recognised that the built environment is a major factor in disabling people with mobility impairments.
In addition, there is a lack of coherence between electric vehicle (EV) advances and the needs of persons with disabilities, particularly in terms of affordability. Most EVs are imported into Kenya, many are ineffective in the local context/environment, they can be of low quality and cannot be repaired locally. This limits the usage, affordability and sustainability of a solution utilising EVs to support Kenyan Persons with Disabilities.
The Idea
This pilot aims to implement complementary Alternative Transportation solutions in urban Kenya. Frontier tech that enables wheelchair users to move further & faster could open life-changing opportunities.
Innovative Electric Alternative Transportation — A detachable electric third wheel for wheelchairs to transform mobility/accessibility for persons with disabilities has not been tested in Sub-Saharan Africa. This idea is based on a solution being implemented in Medellín, Colombia where wheelchair users are provided a ‘third wheel’ - a standalone electric wheel that can be attached to the front of almost any wheelchair, effectively driving the wheelchair and providing more stability. This third wheel is produced locally, uses recycled parts where possible, can be repaired and maintained locally.
AI and digital mapping — to enhance understanding and access to built environment accessibility information. Mobile tech, informed by AI could provide mapping of accessibility routes across the city enabling people to move around safely.
Managing a shared-ownership / leasing scheme — to overcome affordability issues.
Providing affordable, effective solutions to improve the mobility of persons with disabilities and older people will enable greater participation in education, work and the community, unlocking their economic potential, increasing productivity and providing the choice of more sustainable inclusive mobility options. This will support them to lead more productive, inclusive, independent, and dignified lives.