BasiGo
Public transport in East Africa gone electric
How does it work?
BasiGo is an e-mobility start-up looking to revolutionise the public transportation sector by providing public transport bus owners with a cost-effective electric alternative to diesel. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, their team is strategically composed of seasoned entrepreneurs who have spent over a decade working and innovating within electric vehicle technology, mobility in Africa, and renewable energy financing.
Why is it needed?
Africa will have 10 cities with a population over 10 million people by 2025. This growing population requires a growing mobility network to serve it. In African cities, diesel buses account for almost 40% of all passenger trips. But meeting growing mobility demand with more diesel buses poses an enormous challenge for our cities. Diesel tailpipe emissions are already a major source of both toxic air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions warming our planet. To meet growing mobility needs, African cities need a sustainable mobility revolution. Almost half of all buses being produced globally are now electric. And East Africa has some of the cleanest and most affordable electricity in the world. Kenya produces over 70% of its electricity from renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind.
How does it improve life?
BasiGo is dedicated to creating an inclusive sustainable mobility revolution in Africa. Replacing a diesel bus in East Africa with an electric bus would have greater impact than almost anywhere else in the world. An electric bus in East Africa would also cost owners less to operate. There's an opportunity to make East Africa a global leader in clean, affordable electric bus transit. In February 2022, BasiGo closed $4.3 million in seed funding. They've launched their electric busses in Kenya. Within the next five years, they hope to have 1,000 busses running in Kenya.