A World Bicycle Relief study finds that bicycles are helping students reach school, community health workers serve more households and farmers access markets faster, with potential benefits for more than two million people.
Bicycles are helping refugee and host communities in Uganda improve access to education, healthcare and markets, with farmers saving up to Shs580,000 in transport costs, according to a new study by World Bicycle Relief.
The study found that bicycles reduce students’ travel time to school, improve safety for girls, help farmers transport produce and enable community health workers to reach more households, highlighting their potential as an affordable transport solution in underserved communities.
Robert Omach, Uganda Country Manager at World Bicycle Relief, said bicycles address transport barriers that are often overlooked in education, healthcare and rural development programmes.
“Farmers using bicycles can save up to Shs580,000 in transport costs and reach markets nearly 70 minutes faster. The bicycles can carry loads of up to 100 kilogrammes, allowing farmers to transport produce while saving money they would otherwise spend on hired transport,” Omach said.
He added that bicycles ease the burden of long journeys to school, particularly for girls who previously relied on motorcycle taxis and faced safety concerns along the way.
In healthcare, the study found that bicycles increased the number of households reached by community health workers from 117 to 178, an increase of approximately 52 per cent.
The researchers estimate that more than two million people could benefit from improved access to bicycles, including 16,000 community health workers, more than 400,000 secondary school students and about 1.6 million rural residents.
Sean Granville, executive director for partnerships and country strategy at World Bicycle Relief, urged the government to integrate bicycles into education and healthcare programmes.
“If you want to achieve your educational outcomes and your educational targets, maybe it's time to consider bicycles as an investment in school infrastructure,” he said.
However, the cost of acquiring bicycles remains a challenge for low-income households. Each Buffalo Bicycle retails at approximately $200, equivalent to about Shs800,000.
To address the affordability barrier, World Bicycle Relief is exploring financing partnerships, including arrangements to help women in village savings and loan associations acquire bicycles and pay for them over time.
Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Relief and Refugees Lillian Aber said the government provides the policy framework, security and oversight for refugee interventions but does not fund bicycle procurement.
She argued that international partners must honour their commitments to support refugee programmes.
Maureen Kolenyo, World Bicycle Relief's Regional Director for East Africa, said Uganda could provide lessons to other countries on integrating refugees into host communities while improving access to essential services.
She emphasised the need for trained mechanics, readily available spare parts and sustainable bicycle support systems, particularly in remote refugee settlements where access to transport and repair services can be limited.
The findings point to the potential for bicycles to complement existing investments in schools, healthcare and rural livelihoods. However, expanding access will depend on affordable financing and the availability of maintenance services to keep bicycles operational over time.