Rwanda’s public transport system is about to embark on an electrifying journey towards a greener and more sustainable future. BasiGo has joined forces with AC Mobility (Tap&Go) to introduce the first fleet of electric buses in the country. The arrival of these emission-free buses is slated for October 2023.
Rwanda will be the second African country for BasiGo. The company already has a presence in Kenya. Back in January, the company said it has plans to assemble over 1000 electric buses in Kenya in the next 3 years.
In Rwanda, BasiGo and AC Mobility have plans to pilot the buses in partnership with local bus operators. These include Kigali Bus Service, Royal Express, and Volcano Express. Transitioning to electric buses has environmental benefits such as reducing air pollution and greenhouse emissions.
Rwanda’s Incentive for Electrification
Back in June, Rwanda abolished the import taxes on electric vehicles to encourage adoption of electric vehicles. “To expedite the adoption of electric vehicles and mitigate emissions associated with petroleum-based transportation, imported electric cars, hybrid cars, and even imported electric motorcycles will be exempt from customs taxes,” said Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Uzziel Ndagijimana.
Rwanda has plans to convert 20% of its public transportation to electric vehicles by 2030. This is a very ambitious project but still doable and players such as BasiGo can help accelerate that.
BasiGo Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Jit Bhattacharya said, “Rwanda has led the way in creating an enabling ecosystem for E-mobility. BasiGo is proud to be partnering with AC Mobility 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 offers electric buses to private bus operators through a mileage-based leasing model called Pay-As-You-Drive. This makes electric buses affordable for private bus operators to purchase and use. Through this financing model, BasiGo and AC Mobility aim to deliver 200 electric buses in Rwanda by the end of 2024.
“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,” said Jones Kizihira, Chief Executive Officer, AC Mobility Rwanda.
Read: Roam and Hitachi partner to electrify Kenya with affordable electric transportation
