In Africa, delivery services have been proliferating in recent years despite addressing issues. The delivery services mostly encountered on the continent use bikes and cars but, in Ethiopia, six tech entrepreneurs have decided to introduce environmentally friendly delivery means. 

Tikus Delivery is a digital solution developed by the Ethiopian start-up Avenir Technologies. It allows its users to have meals delivered from various restaurants by bicycle or electric motorcycle. The startup, based in Addis Ababa, was founded in 2019 by Amir Redwan, Bereket Solomon, Bruk Getahun, Tesfa Mesele, and Yasin Aman, to support local restaurants and create jobs for the youth.

“Because bicycles don’t need fuel to operate, Tikus customers can enjoy a lower delivery charge which is 6 ETB ($0.11) per kilometer, and deliveries are made eco-friendly.[...] Bicycles are more affordable than motorbikes, which means more people especially young people can start earning money as Tikus Bikers with a small initial cost,” indicates Amir Redwan. 

Through its Android and iOS apps, users can create Tikus accounts and then gain access to the startup's partner restaurants. In a few clicks, they can choose a restaurant to select a menu, validate their orders, and checkout.  They will then be delivered in a relatively short time. The apps even give the choice to follow the delivery process in real-time.  

The apps automatically calculate the delivery fees based on distance and delivery means chosen. Deliveries by bicycle are charged 25 birrs for the initial kilometer plus 6 birrs for each additional kilometer. The fee for deliveries by bike is 35 birrs for the initial kilometer plus 10 birrs for each extra kilometer. 

The Android version of Tikus’ app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times on Playstore. Thanks to support from the Bridges program and Mastercard Foundation, Tikus wants to create a thousand jobs in Ethiopia. 

Adoni Conrad Quenum