BasiGo, a Kenyan
vehicle startup has introduced a passenger electric bus as the interest for the
environmentally friendly transport continue to grow.
The KSh 5 million bus,
also a 25-seater is designed by the world’s largest manufacturer of electric
buses BYD Automotive.
The bus can travel for
250 –kilometre before requiring recharging, with a recharging period being less
than four hours.
“Today marks an
important step towards a cleaner and brighter future for public transit in
Kenya,” BasiGo chief CEO and founder
Jit Bhattacharya said.
Bhattacharya
said buyers will be subjected to a KSh 20 per kilometre subscription fee, an
amount that will be used to cover the cost of of leasing the battery, nightly
charging at a BasiGo depot as well as service and maintenance for the buses.
The
startup is partnering with public service vehicle (PSV) Citi Hoppa and East
Shuttle.
Citi Hoppa will deploy
the buses between the city centre and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, East
Shuttle plans to use the buses on the Eastlands routes.
“With the possibility
of less maintenance and avoiding the cost of diesel fuel, these buses address
many of the hassles our owners face and should be better for our business
overall,” said East
Shuttle Director of Finance John Moses Kamau.
The introduction of
the electric busses across the world has elicited mixed reactions with some
critics saying most of the busses are unreliable.
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