NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 – Electric bus startup BasiGo has received Sh227.85 million ($1.5 million) from USAID, an American government development agency, to scale up public transport in Rwanda.
Through its Development Innovation Ventures program, the grant will directly support BasiGo’s pilot project in Kigali.
Kigali’s initiative seeks to showcase the cost-efficiency and viability of green public service vehicles.
Earlier, the startup announced that its first two electric buses had already arrived in East Africa before distribution to Kigali.
“We are grateful for the financial support of USAID in accelerating our public transport electrification plan in Rwanda.” BasiGo Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Jit Bhattacharya said.
“Rwanda is facing combined pressures from rising fuel prices and an urgent need for more public transport buses in Kigali,” Bhattacharya added.
“We believe our Pay-As-You-Drive solution will enable Kigali bus operators to rapidly scale the number of electric buses within their fleets,” he stated.
“We look forward to working with USAID and the Rwandan government to create the future of clean electric public transport in Rwanda.”
The first electric buses will begin road testing in Kigali in November and will enter passenger operations on a variety of Kigali bus routes later.
They will be operated by Kigali Bus Service, Royal Express, and Volcano.
BasiGo will also provide all charging and maintenance services for the electric buses through their all-inclusive Pay-As-You-Drive model.
It has also partnered with AC Mobility to integrate its electric bus financing platform with the tap-and-go fare collection system present in the majority of Kigali’s public transport buses.
