Tech Talk: Fuel Crisis in Kenya? Time to ride on the E-bus!

Have you seen fuel prices at the pump? Insane! Right? Public transportation commuters and car owners alike are feeling the pinch. Seeing people line up at the petrol station with jerry cans hoping to get a few liters to fuel their motorbikes and bigger vehicles has been disheartening.

Kenya doesn't have a robust rail system to ameliorate this situation and it might take us years to get one. Meanwhile, people still need to get to where they are going and electronic buses are the future.

E-buses are environmentally friendly and most of them operate through the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. BRT is a high-capacity bus-based transit system that delivers fast and efficient service that may include dedicated lanes, busways, traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection, elevated platforms and enhanced stations. No more excruciating traffic. Yay!

There's an increase in demand of electric buses around the world. Commuters and transport operators want reliable and efficient bus charging stations for a swift and seamless experience for the passengers and Kenyan electric vehicle start-up BasiGo wants to do just that.

BasiGo is running a pilot programme with two of the biggest PSV operators in Nairobi- City Hoppa and East Shuttle. While Citi Hoppa will deploy the buses between the city centre and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, East Shuttle plans to use the buses on the Eastlands routes. Riders will be charged a daily subscription fee of 20 bob per kilometer to cover the cost of leasing the battery, nightly charging at a BasiGo depot as well as service and maintenance for the buses.

Will you be riding? For more deets, check out BasiGo