Kenya’s electricity bus manufacturer BasiGo is set to expand to the Rwandan market by start of the fourth quarter this year.The company has announced plans to deliver its first unit for public transport operators in Rwanda.
BasiGo Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Jit Bhattacharya said the partnership will see the buses delivered to public transport operators through BasiGo’s innovative Pay-As-You-Drive financing model.
With the expansion, Rwanda now becomes the second market for the e-mobility firm after Kenya.
The company has also announced a partnership with the country’s leading provider of automated fare collection systems for public transport, AC Mobility.
According to Bhattacharya,Electric buses will bring bus operators freedom from rising fuel prices while also dramatically reducing air pollution and CO2 emissions.
Through Pay-As-You-Drive model, we are excited to bring a complete E-Bus solution to make this technology affordable, accessible and convenient for all bus operators in Rwanda,” he added.
BasiGo and AC Mobility have signed letters of intent for the pilot with Kigali Bus Service, Royal Express, and Volcano Express, three of Kigali’s leading bus operators.
“We are excited to partner with BasiGo to drive Rwanda’s public bus electrification. The country has recorded rapid transformation, creating a need for a more robust and cost-effective public transport system. The electric buses will help ease the cost burden of public bus transporters and advance Rwanda’s transition to clean mobility. We look forward to leveraging BasiGo’s experience and network to build a strong electric bus business in Rwanda,” added Jones Kizihira, Chief Executive Officer, AC Mobility Rwanda.
The e-mobility start-up aims to revolutionize the public transportation sector by providing public transport bus owners with a cost-effective electric alternative to diesel.
The African Electric bus market size and share analysis- growth trends and forecasts report 2023 – 2028 indicated Urban transportation buses account for approximately 25% of the total emission by the transportation sector, and the preference in public transport is expected to increase by nearly 50% by 2030. This will result in an estimated additional 26,000 tons of carbon.The report also stated that battery electric buses are expected to lead in the market, as local government initiatives to reduce the emission and reduce the operational cost of public transportation.
Founded in 2021, BasiGo has sold 19 Electric Buses to public transport operators in Nairobi and has secured reservations for over 100 additional buses.The company claims that its buses have covered a total distance of more than 460,000km and carried over 580,000 passengers.
Through the financing model, BasiGo and AC Mobility target to deliver 200 electric buses to bus operators in Rwanda by the end of next year.
The Government of Rwanda plans to scale the size of Kigali’s public transport fleet while also aiming to convert 20pc of the public bus fleet to electric by 2030.
Recently it signed an agreement with Vivo Energy and the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) for the supply of over 200 electric buses in Kigali.