BasiGo and Associated Vehicle Assemblers (AVA) have announced a collaboration to build modern electric buses for BasiGo in Kenya.
AVA announced the completion of the assembly of 15 electric buses with a capacity of 25 seats in January 2023. The buses will begin service with Nairobi Matatu operators in the coming months.
Speaking about the partnership, Jit Bhattacharya, CEO BasiGo said “BasiGo is committed to delivering electric buses that are 100% assembled in Kenya. We are thrilled to be collaborating with AVA, the country’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer with many years of experience. We are confident that this collaboration will establish Kenya as a leader in the production of modern electric vehicles.”
“With AVA’s decades of experience and certified production processes, we will deliver high-quality electric buses to PSV operators in the region,” said Moses Nderitu, BasiGo’s Chief Revenue Officer.
Together, BasiGo and AVA are establishing Kenya as a leader in the production of cutting-edge electric vehicles, a market that is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.”
The two companies intend to produce over 1,000 electric buses over the next three years, creating over 300 new manufacturing jobs and an additional 300 jobs in the charging, maintenance, and financing ecosystems required to keep electric buses running.
The company will also assemble 33-seater buses as it seeks to phase out the 25-seater buses used in the pilot project based on feedback from Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators.
BasiGo, Kenya’s first company to introduce electric buses, will also be the first to assemble EVs locally as a result of this collaboration.
BasiGo’s electric buses have driven over 141,000 kilometers and carried over 185,000 passengers since their launch in March 2022 as part of a fleet operation with two Nairobi bus operators – East Shuttle and Citi Hoppa.