Kenya’s electricity bus manufacturer BasiGo plans to deliver its first unit to public transport operators in Rwanda by start of the fourth quarter this year.
Rwanda now becomes the second market for the e-mobility firm after Kenya.
BasiGo Rwanda has also announced partnership with the country’s leading provider of automated fare collection systems for public transport, AC
Mobility.
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.
“Electric buses will bring bus operators freedom from rising fuel prices while also dramatically reducing air pollution and CO2 emissions. Through our 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,” said Bhattacharya.
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 deal comes as Rwanda embarks on a quest to rapidly scale the size of Kigali’s public transport fleet while also aiming to convert 20pc of the public bus fleet to electric by 2030.
Since inception in 2021, BasiGo has sold 19 Electric Buses to public transport operators in
Nairobi and has secured reservations for over 100 additional buses.
The firm says to date, it 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.
