CNN
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Early in the coronavirus pandemic in Nairobi, Kenya, the unlikely happened. a mountain appearedTo curb the spread of the virus, authorities have asked thousands of private bus operators in the city to suspend trading. “Within three days, the air was completely clean,” recalls entrepreneur Jit Bhattacharya. “You could see Mount Kenya…it’s crystal clear” about 90 miles away.
Bhattacharya also saw an opportunity.from Kenya 90% of its power From renewable sources, mainly geothermal and hydroelectric, surplus grid capacityyet it imports almost everything petroleum fuelWhat if we could bring clean energy into the transportation sector? Maybe it helps the city clean up its act. Maybe Mount Kenya becomes a permanent feature of Nairobi.
In the capital of Kenya, 5 million people, and Matatus, privately owned minibuses and shared taxis, are “important to the mobility of Nairobi’s people,” explains Christopher Kost, Africa program director at the Transport and Development Policy Institute. “In the city, he does 40% of his trips by public transport.”
“The challenge we face now is that these matatus are stuck in traffic,” he adds. “People are facing delays and the service is not always reliable. These are issues we need to fix.”
An electric bus could help solve the problem. Today, Bhattacharya is his CEO and co-founder of his BasiGo. BasiGo is a mobility startup competing to electrify buses in the city. The company is not alone. Swedish-Kenyan electric car maker He Roam is also eyeing Nairobi’s mass transit sector.Both are rolling out fleets of buses this year that could mark the beginning of a new chapter for the city famous matatu culture.
Matatus of Nairobi in all its glory
BasiGo launched a pilot scheme in March 2022, starting by importing two 25-passenger buses from Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD. To date, it has covered over 135,000 kilometers (84,000 miles). “Most notably, he had less than two days of technical downtime during that time,” he adds.
Fifteen more buses will hit the streets in the coming weeks. These vehicles are imported as kits and manufactured in the coastal city of Mombasa, creating jobs and reducing taxes, Bhattacharya explains.
Rather than operating its own fleet, BasiGo sells buses directly to private operators in Nairobi on a “pay-as-you-go” basis. By doing so, Bhattacharya said, buyers can buy his BYD electric buses at a similar initial cost to similarly sized diesel buses.
As part of the deal, drivers receive free bus service and maintenance, as well as free charging. The charging infrastructure, which utilizes the national power grid, is deployed along congested routes at stations where buses typically stop overnight. (The aim, Bhattacharya said, is to go electric “without changing behavior” on the driver’s side.)
Read more: Why the energy transition is so difficult for Africa
BasiGo buses have a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles) and take four hours to recharge. In the company’s model, BasiGo retains ownership of the bus’s battery (“around 40-50% of the vehicle’s value”). Batteries will be reused or recycled in non-vehicle applications, he says Bhattacharya.
The company says it has received more than 100 reservations so far. He aims to have 100 buses on Nairobi roads by the end of the year and 1,000 by the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, ROHM has its own plans. He is a finalist for the Earthshot Prize in 2022. Previously known as Opibus, the electric mobility startup has his two separate bus models designed for Nairobi’s needs. .
The Rome Rapid can accommodate up to 90 people, has a range of over 360 kilometers (224 miles) and is designed to carry passengers on routes such as major corridors and airport transfers.
The bus has gone through four pilot schemes and is currently being tested on Thika Road, the capital’s main artery. Roam says he aims to have up to 10 Rapid models for personal use by the end of the year. It is awaiting the outcome of a government tender related to the city’s upcoming BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) network, which could lead to a contract for up to 100 buses.
“We feel we have developed a product that is adorable, easy to use, and ultimately functional,” says project coordinator Dennis Wakaba.
The Roam Move is a small bus designed to compete with the traditional matatu market. The buses cost 20 Kenyan shillings ($0.16) per kilometre, Wakaba said, compared to 50-60 shillings ($0.40-0.48) for a diesel. Through a financing model whose details have yet to be finalized, the driver will be able to recoup the cost of the vehicle in four to five years, he said. The Move is still in the prototype stage, but Roam says he expects to have 10 completed by October.
Read more: Pay-as-you-go electric trucks make deliveries on Rwanda’s dirt roads
So far, charging is only available at Roam’s workshops in the city, but Mr Wakaba said a permit has been given to set up publicly accessible chargers on Thika Road, and Roam will operate during the day and at full capacity. We plan to install charging points along the route for charging when charging. Charge overnight.
Alvin Wilson, head of product strategy, wants to distinguish between Roam and its competitors.
“The biggest difference is that we design the product (by ourselves),” he insists, tailoring battery size, bus size and other factors for the Kenyan market. . “We’re working in completely different areas,” Wilson insists.
Kost believes that while healthy competition in the private sector ultimately benefits consumers, the public sector also needs to get involved. “It is not enough to turn vehicles into electric buses. We need to improve infrastructure, operations and regulations at the same time,” he says.
“The ideal arrangement would be where the government can invest in corridors, stations and depots and bring the capital for the private sector to invest in buses,” he adds.
“Nairobi would be a much more efficient city if it had a decent public transport system with reliable and fast service,” Cost concludes, which could motivate the government to get involved. Provides potential economic benefits.
BasiGo and Roam are already looking beyond Nairobi and Kenya. “We are very much looking forward to introducing a scalable electrified model of our public transport system to other markets,” said Bhattacharya, referring to Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia as potential countries for his BasiGo expansion. is listed as Across East Africa, Roam says he is seeking tenders for Roam Rapid and plans to roll out Roam Move across the region in late 2024.
In the meantime, both companies are doing everything they can to attract the city’s drivers and commuters to their offerings. It could be an upgrade instead.
“We want to make these available to everyone across the city of Nairobi. Rich, poor, ‘it doesn’t matter,’” Bhattacharya says. “I don’t think passengers, once they go and experience[our buses]are ready to go back.”
