KENYA ELECTRIC BUS, TRANSPORT REVOLUTION EXCITES MANY.
Kenya electric bus amazes many. The Kenyan- Swedish company wants that epithet to also refer to the city`s environmentaly. It targets public transport providers, schools as well as private and government institutions, providing with an environmentaly sustainable solution that is cheaper to maintain than fuel-run buses. “It`s the first electric bus in Kenya that we designed since last year and co-manufactured it with global partner, ” Roams transit Board Member, Dennis Wakaimba said.
This buses will help people to ride comfortably and with clear conscience since there is zero pollution.
“This represents a shift towards better public transport where we can have people ride in comfort and enjoy the ride with clear conscience because we`re talking about zero emmisions, ” said the roam project coordinator said. Most commuter transport is privately owned in Nairobi and Roam said fares o n the eletric bus would rival those offered by its smoggier competitors.
“The challenge that we’re facing now is that these matatus are stuck in traffic,” he adds. “People face delays, the service is not always reliable. Those are issues that we need to correct.”Electric buses could help solve the problem. Today Bhattacharya is the CEO and co-founder of BasiGo, a mobility startup racing to electrify the city’s buses. The company is not alone. Swedish-Kenyan electric vehicle manufacturer Roam also has its eyes set on Nairobi’s mass transport sector. Both are rolling out fleets of buses this year that could mark the start of a new chapter for city’s famous matatu culture.
The 77-seater has a top speed of 70 kilometres per hour and a battery pack allows it to travel 360 kilometres before reqiring a 2-hour recharge. The bus is designed to be accese and incluse for all. “it can accomodate people in wheelchairs, the elderly so we have proirity seats inside this bus,”he adds Roam plan to roll out 100 electric buses over the next year.
Eighty percent of Nairobi’s commuters use matatus — minivans that are poorly regulated and maintained, and known for frightening manoeuvres and trails of black smoke streaking behind battered chassis.
It is estimated that less than 500 of Kenya’s 3.5 million cars are electric, despite the government making them cheaper than ever to purchase.
The transport sector accounts for 12 percent of Kenya’s emissions footprint — though that figure rises to 45 percent in Nairobi, according to government figures.
Earlier this year another electric mobility startup, BasiGo, unveiled a 25-seater bus with a 250-kilometre range for Nairobi’s roads.
Kenya sources most of its energy from renewable resources and is seeking to cut CO2 emmisions by 32 percent by 2030.
(CNN)During the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in Nairobi, Kenya, something improbable happened: a mountain appeared. To curb the transmission of the virus, authorities called on the city’s thousands of private bus operators to cease trading. “Within three days, the air completely cleared,” recalls entrepreneur Jit Bhattacharya. “You could see Mount Kenya … crystal clear,” some 90 miles away.
