On Wednesday, BasiGo, one of Kenya's first fully electric bus companies, flagged off the first electric buses in the country for passenger use.
Permanent Secretary in the State Department of Transport, Dr. Eng. Joseph K. Njoroge, CBS, attended the event and hailed the buses as proof that Kenya can make a reality and work towards building a sustainable transport sector.
"We are currently working towards launching the BRT system in Nairobi to ease traffic and our goal is to have electric buses used," Dr. Njoroge said.
The electric buses, which arrived in the country in December 2021, have undergone extensive validation and reliability testing in preparation for the pilot launch.
Representatives from BasiGo's pilot partners, Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle, BYD Automotive, and Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), also attended the event.
BYD and KPLC are BasiGo's key strategic partners in the deployment of electric buses and charging infrastructure.
"Today marks an important step towards a cleaner and brighter future for public transit in Kenya. We are thrilled to be partnering with two pioneering PSV operators; Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle, to give Kenyans their first chance to ride in an electric bus," said Jit Bhattacharya, CEO and Co-Founder at BasiGo.
Eng. Rosemary Oduor, CEO and Acting Managing Director KPLC, pledged to work with BasiGo in developing the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
"We are ready to play our part in the electrification of transportation and will strive to support this endeavour and the transformation of the country to mitigate the effects of climate change," she said.
The buses will now go into operation as standard PSVs with Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle, with Citi Hoppa deploying the BasiGo electric bus on routes between the city centre and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and East Shuttle deploying their electric bus on the Eastlands side of Nairobi.
BasiGo also announced that they are now taking reservations for the first production units of the K6 Electric Bus, a 25-seat, 250 km range electric bus that recharges in less than 4 hours.
