BasiGo bringing its Electric Buses to Rwanda

BasiGo, the Kenyan-based electric bus manufacturer is expanding to Rwanda. The company, which recently partnered with the Associated Vehicle Assemblers Ltd (AVA) to assemble its buses in Kenya is entering Rwanda with a new entity BasiGo Rwanda Ltd. 

BasiGo has partnered with AC Mobility, Rwanda’s leading provider of automated fare collection systems for public transport for this expansion. The partnership will deliver electric buses to Kigali transport operators by October of this year through BasiGo’s innovative Pay-As-You-Drive financing model, which the company has also been using in Kenya. 

The financing model allows owners to purchase the electric buses plus a daily subscription fee which includes the cost of leasing the battery, nightly charging at a BasiGo depot, and service and maintenance for the bus. Through this model, BasiGo and AC Mobility aim to deliver 200 electric buses to bus operators in Rwanda by the end of 2024.

“Rwanda has led the way in creating an enabling ecosystem for E-mobility. BasiGo is proud to be partnering with AC Mobility, a technology leader in Rwanda’s transport sector, to help accelerate the transition to electrified public transport. 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.” BasiGo Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Jit Bhattacharya said. 

BasiGo and AC Mobility have already 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.” Jones Kizihira, Chief Executive Officer, AC Mobility Rwanda said 

BasiGo expansion to the East African country comes at a time when The Government of Rwanda is rolling out an initiative to rapidly scale the size of Kigali’s public transport fleet while also aiming to convert 20% of the public bus fleet to electric by 2030.  

Founded in 2021, BasiGo has led the introduction of electric buses in Nairobi’s public transport fleet.  BasiGo has sold 19 Electric Buses to public transport operators in Nairobi and has secured reservations for over 100 additional buses. BasiGo electric buses have driven over 460,000 kilometers and carried over 580,000 passengers. BasiGo has also deployed Kenya’s first DC Fast Charging stations for Electric buses.

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