Delivering a pathway to safer commercial motorcycle operations

As consumers, we have grown accustomed to blazing-fast deliveries with a click of an app —sometimes in as little as 10 minutes. While we enjoy this speed and convenience, we rarely pause to consider the added safety risks placed on delivery drivers racing against the clock. 

Commercial motorcycles are more than just vehicles, they are vital tools for economic activity and job growth. From food and package deliveries to app-based “mototaxi” services, two-wheelers create countless livelihoods and boost social mobility worldwide, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In fact, in many of these countries, motorized two-wheelers now outnumber cars, particularly in urban areas. Globally, more than 500 million motorcycles are now registered, and 60-70 million new two-wheelers are added to the roads each year. 

But this rapid growth presents a serious challenge: a disproportionately high number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities, posing significant injury risks to drivers, passengers, and other road users. The cumulative economic burden is immense, affecting families and communities through hospital costs and productivity loss—not to mention the profound human costs of pain, grief, and suffering. 

Commercial motorcycle safety is a growing problem  

Motorcyclists now account for around 350,000 deaths annually, representing roughly 30% of all global road-traffic fatalities—a proportion that has grown sharply in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, motorcycle-related deaths doubled in Africa and rose by two-thirds in the Americas between 2013 and 2023. 

Commercial motorcyclists—the subset of motorcycle drivers who use their two-wheelers to earn an income—provide a wide range of essential services, from food delivery to package couriering to passenger transport. In many LMICs, these services fill critical gaps in public transport systems and underpin entire sectors of the urban “on demand” economy. Yet the very factors that make commercial motorcyclists so vital—the long hours, constant pressure to meet tight deadlines, and heavy reliance on them for mobility—also increase their exposure to road hazards and heighten their safety risks.  

Many operate informally, without proper licenses, adequate insurance, or reliable safety gear. Certified helmets, when available, are often prohibitively expensive, leading riders to rely on substandard or counterfeit alternatives. The pressures of tight delivery schedules and the financial incentive to move quickly from one “gig” to the next can also result in fatigue, speeding, and distracted and unsafe riding—factors that can be exacerbated based on the business models used by the apps and delivery platforms. Compounding these issues is the lack of consistent standards for licensing, training, and vehicle safety, leaving dangerous gaps in protection. 

Key recommendations for a safer future 

Until now, commercial motorcyclist safety has received little targeted attention, with reforms and regulations often developed in isolation and without drawing on global lessons learned. A new guide, “Safety of Commercial Motorcycles: Guidelines and Good Practices for Governments and the Private Sector,” offers a roadmap for governments and the private sector to tackle these challenges head-on. 

Produced by the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), the comprehensive guide takes a practical, multi-stakeholder approach to making commercial motorcycling safer for all road users. It is among the first resources dedicated specifically to improving safety conditions in this fast-growing sector. 

The guide emphasizes that improving commercial motorcycle safety is a shared responsibility, requiring active participation from a range of stakeholders. High-impact measures that should be prioritized include:

• Enhanced safety gear: Promoting the availability and affordability of certified helmets and protective clothing through subsidies, bulk purchasing, and public awareness campaigns.
• Robust licensing & training: Implementing compulsory and recurring safety training that covers defensive riding, fatigue management, and adherence to traffic rules, alongside standardized licensing requirements.
• Vehicle safety: Mandating minimum safety standards for motorcycles such as Anti-lock Braking Systems and encouraging fleet renewal.
• Financial inclusion: Linking financing schemes with safety compliance during the sale or leasing of commercial motorcycles, such as mandatory insurance.
• Corporate responsibility: Establishing structured hiring protocols, routine fitness assessments, clear safety clauses in contracts, while leveraging telematics (i.e. vehicle-based metrics such as speed) for performance monitoring. For example, the incorporation of telematics into the operations of app-based platforms has resulted in measurable safety improvements for drivers. Companies and app-based platforms can also subsidize certified safety gear, introduce app-based safety reminders, provide subsidized insurance, and offer driver training.
• Government regulations & infrastructure: Governments can enforce periodic maintenance and create comprehensive legal frameworks. They can invest in motorcycle-friendly road designs and protective barriers, mandate minimum safety standards, mandate insurance, and more. The Rwanda government, for example, has increased safety outcomes by enforcing the use of certified helmets, while Colombia’s government has made progress through evidence based public campaigns and enforcement.

A call to action

Commercial motorcycles are now deeply embedded in economic life and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Our dependence on their services will only grow as consumers worldwide become accustomed to ever-faster, on-demand delivery and rides. 

By acting on the recommendations in this report, we hope that governments, businesses, and communities can collaborate to build a safer, more sustainable ecosystem for commercial motorcyclists—one that preserves lives while enabling societies to fully harness the benefits of these services. The time for action is now, before the situation worsens. Download the report today and join us in building a safer future for the commercial motorcycle drivers that we have all come to rely on.

Source : World Bank