BasiGo which is a startup known to be heavily involved in electric mobility here in Kenya, has partnered with Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) to produce more than 1,000 electric buses in Mombasa city within three years. This will result in the establishment of over 300 jobs which will include sectors such as manufacturing, charging and maintenance as well as financial sectors. The collaboration was necessitated because of an anticipated rise in demand for EVs soon. AVA plans to assemble 33-seater buses as it hopes to substitute the 25-seater ones used during its pilot project. BasiGo also plans to heve the buses start running with Nairobi’s matatu operators in coming months.
BasiGo in the past year sent 15 partially assembled electric buses that can carry 25 people to AVA. The assembling of these buses was finished by AVA during recent months. From March 2022 onwards, BasiGo has been conducting a trial run for two buses with Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle on North Airport Road, Allsops’ route as well as Thika Road and Dandora-City Stadium routes. During the pilot phase they have travelled over 120000 kilometres and carried more than 150000 passengers. The successful result of this trial project provides BasiGo with the assurance to grow its business and increase the number of electric buses in their fleet.
Jit Bhattachary, who is the CEO of BasiGo, shared his company’s dedication to make electric buses that are assembled in Kenya. He also expressed joy for working together with AVA because they have a reputation of being experts at assembling things in this nation.
BasiGo, besides joining hands with AVA, has other intentions to expand its business in the near future. The company is thinking about how it can make more money and among the plans they have is setting up an electric vehicle charging infrastructure within two years. This will help the growth of our country’s electric car industry and give BasiGo a new source of income.
The joining of forces between BasiGo and AVA marks a notable progress for the electric vehicle segment in Kenya. This collaboration is anticipated to create jobs, enhance economy and assist in decreasing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. With an increasing number of electric buses and now charging points for electric vehicles, BasiGo has set itself up as a contender in Kenya’s market for electric mobility.