Nairobi welcomes electric buses

 

Kenya Power Acting Managing Director Rosemary Oduor (left) and BasiGo Chief Executive Jit Bhattacharya flag off a bus during the launch of BasiGo electric buses in Nairobi yesterday. [Courtesy]

Nairobi has welcomed its first electric buses, putting Kenya on the map of a few countries that are shifting from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Yesterday, Nairobi-based company BasiGo launched electric buses as it seeks to disrupt the chaotic public transport sector.

BasiGo Chief Executive Jit Bhattacharya said the company has partnered with public service vehicle (PSV) operators Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle to ply several key routes in Nairobi with plans to scale up in the coming months.

“These buses will transform expectations for bus travel in Nairobi and we look forward to seeing them carrying passengers in safety, comfort and with zero emissions daily,” he said.

“With Kenya’s abundant renewable electricity to power these buses, we can make Kenya a global leader in the shift to sustainable public transit.”

The launch comes at a time when many countries, especially in Europe and Asia, and the US, are adopting electric cars in a global push to cut greenhouse gases.

Citi Hoppa will deploy the BasiGo electric bus on routes between Nairobi’s city centre and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, while East Shuttle will operate its electric bus on the city’s Eastlands route.

Mr Bhattacharya said the buses are 100 per cent electric and the firm targets to introduce 1,000 of them into the country’s transport sector over the next five years.

“One thousand of these electric buses would consume over 100 megawatt-hours (MWh)of domestically-produced electricity every night, creating a new consumer of off-peak electricity for Kenya Power,” he said.

“They offer freedom from rising diesel prices for bus operators, greater reliability and reduced maintenance costs as they have no engine and no transmission.”

Kenya Power acting Managing Director Rosemary Oduor welcomed the launch of BasiGO as a departure from costly diesel fuel used in the transport sector.

She said the energy firm can adequately supply tens of thousands of buses.”From our initial computations on the size of business opportunity, an average minibus operating within Nairobi covers approximately 200 kilometres per day and consumes 120 kilowatt-hours at a cost of Sh2,400,” she said.

“One thousand mini-buses, operating within the city, would therefore consume approximately 120MWh per day. Based on this, Kenya Power has enough electricity to charge 50,000 buses and two million motorcycles during off-peak hours, presenting us with a viable business case to promote the e-mobility agenda.”

Ms Oduor said Kenya Power is currently in talks with five other e-mobility service providers that are either presently operating in the market or planning to make entry.

BasiGo has begun recruiting potential bus owners to grow its fleet.

The company has partnered with Chinese firm BYD Automotive to bring in the K6 electric bus model, a 25-seater, 250km range minibus that recharges in less than four hours.

Transport Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge said the government is in the process of developing a National E-mobility Policy to spur uptake.