Kenya’s e-mobility startup, BasiGo, and multi-brand vehicle assembler AVA have announced a partnership to produce state-of-the-art electric buses for the local market.
Over the next three years, the companies hope to produce over a thousand electric buses, an initiative that will create over 300 new manufacturing jobs and another 300 in the charging, maintenance, and financing infrastructure necessary to keep electric buses on the road.
The goal of the partnership is also to gradually replace the 25-seater buses used in the pilot project with 33-seaters using the feedback from Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators.
Just recently, the Kenya startup secured $6.6 Million In New Funding Round Led Mobility54 to begin the commercial delivery of locally manufactured electric buses and charging infrastructure through the company’s unique Pay-As-You-Drive financing model.
According to Moses Nderitu, Chief Revenue Officer for BasiGo, this partnership is necessary for BasiGo to scale up as the first to assemble EVs locally. BasiGo, which pioneered the use of electric buses in Kenya, will thereby achieve yet another first with this development.
Jit Bhattacharya, CEO of BasiGo, also commented on the partnership saying;
BasiGo is committed to delivering electric buses that are 100% assembled in Kenya. We are elated to be partnering with AVA, the country’s leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles who have had expertise for many years in assembly in the country. We are confident that this partnership will put Kenya on the map as a leader in the manufacturing of modern electric vehicles.
To date, BasiGo’s electric buses have reportedly driven over 141,000 kilometres and transported over 185,000 passengers as part of fleet operations with two Nairobi bus operators, East Shuttle and Citi Hoppa, since its March 2022 launch.
This came after the company had raised $6.6 million (Sh804.5 million), with Toyota serving as the round’s lead investor, a few months earlier. On the other hand, the funding is anticipated to hasten BasiGo’s efforts to build electric buses for public transportation systems in Kenya and across Africa.
