NAIROBI, Kenya March 9-Electric mobility startup, BasiGo has launched the first electric passenger bus in the country that is set to revolutionize the transport industry.
Currently, the firm is undertaking a pilot program with two bus operators to show that the concept can work in Kenya.
Citi Hoppa and Eastland Eagles are the pilot partners for the project. The buses will be plying the CBD to JKIA and City Stadium to Dandora route.
Speaking during the launch event, Sam Kamunya, Head of Business Development at BasiGo said the bus will be able to run on full charge for a whole day then charge at night when the grid isn’t busy.
“Currently, with the routes, the two buses are plying the charging ports are located along Airport North Road but as we expand we will identify charging ports in all locations,” said Kamunya,
Each 25-seater bus will retail at Sh5million and buyers will also be subjected to a daily subscription fee of Sh20 per kilometre to cover the cost of leasing the battery, nightly charging at a BasiGo depot as well as service and maintenance for the buses.
Further, BasiGo has a portal, where the customers will log in and they will be able to see the location of the bus, charge in the bus, and electricity potential of the bus on payments.
Also speaking at the event, Kenya Power MD Rosemary Oduor, said the e-mobility evolution provides them with an inorganic opportunity to grow sales.
Kenya presently has an installed capacity of 2991 MW and an off-peak load of 1200 MW.
This means that there is enough power to support the entire e-mobility ecosystem, including powering charging stations for domestic and business use.
Oduor also noted that Kenya Power has established a liaison office that will work with other stakeholders to support the development of the e-mobility eco-system, which will include the identification of sites for potential charging stations, as well as requisite geo-mapping software to enable users locate the nearest charging station.
“We are also in talks with five other e-mobility players who are either presently operating in the market or planning to make an entry and we are looking forward to working with even more as the industry develops,” said Oduor.
