Kenyan company BasiGo is teaming up with AC Mobility (Tap&Go) to introduce Electric Buses in Rwanda. The Rwanda Development Board made the announcement today, stating that the first set of Electric Buses will arrive in Rwanda by October 2023. These buses will undergo pilot testing with Kigali transport operators.
This marks BasiGo’s second foray into the African market, as they launch a new venture called BasiGo Rwanda Ltd. The main goal is to electrify Rwanda’s public transport system. This move positions Rwanda as one of the countries actively promoting e-mobility solutions in Africa.
AC Mobility is Rwanda’s provider of automated fare collection systems for public transport. Its partnership with Kenya’s BasiGo is set to bring affordable and accessible electric buses to Rwandan bus operating companies. BasiGo’s Pay-As-You-Drive financing model will enable the delivery of 200 electric buses to these operators by the end of 2024. This financing model would make it possible to deliver 200 electric buses to bus operators in Rwanda by the end of 2024.
Last year in November, the Rwandan Government introduced an initiative to significantly expand Kigali’s public transport fleet. Their goal is to convert 20% of the public bus fleet to electric by 2030. By implementing this project, they expect to reduce carbon emissions by 72,000 tons.
Rwanda is making efforts to transition to cleaner transportation to reduce emissions. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 13 percent of the nation’s emissions come from road transport, with buses being responsible for over 40 percent of emissions in the transport sector. Partnering with BasiGo will see the introduction of sustainable alternatives to diesel buses and promote the electrification of public buses; the ultimate goal being to achieve a greener and more environmentally friendly transportation system in the country.
BasiGo is on a mission to create the future of clean, fully electric bus transportation in Africa. The Kenyan startup offers electric buses to private bus operators through a mileage-based leasing model called Pay-As-You-Drive, which makes electric buses affordable for private bus operators to purchase and use.
Earlier this year, the electric vehicle (EV) startup formed a partnership with Associated Vehicle Assemblers Ltd (AVA), an automobile company. The aim of this collaboration is to manufacture buses in Mombasa, a city in Kenya. The project’s goal is to assemble 33-seater buses based on feedback from Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators, gradually replacing the existing 25-seater buses used in the pilot program.
In May 2023, the EV startup also achieved another milestone by launching Kenya’s first public EV charging station. This charging station is located in Nairobi’s Buru Buru neighborhood and operates under the new eMobility tariff system.
