Kenya Bus Service Management Limited (KBS), one of the country’s oldest public transport operators, is embarking on a historic transformation by going electric.
This move signifies a major milestone in Kenya’s public transport sector, reflecting both the company’s adaptability and the broader shift towards sustainable transportation solutions.
KBS, established in 1928, has weathered numerous changes in Kenya’s public transport landscape. From the formal, organized sector to the informal paratransit era dominated by second-hand low-capacity vehicles, KBS has survived the collapse of many bus companies. Today, it stands at the forefront of a new revolution: the transition to electric buses.
KBS recently received its first electric bus, the E9 Kubwa, from BasiGo. This bus is the first of 25 to be delivered by the end of the year. Custom-designed for the Kenyan market, the E9 Kubwa is a 36-seat electric bus equipped with a 210kWh battery and a 130kW (250kW peak) electric motor. The name “Kubwa,” meaning “Big” in Swahili, highlights the bus’s larger capacity compared to earlier models.
The E9 Kubwa will initially serve routes from the Central Business District (CBD) to Kibera, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), and Utawala. These buses are assembled in Thika, Kenya, in collaboration with Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM), showcasing a significant step towards local manufacturing and job creation.
The transition to electric buses offers substantial economic and environmental benefits. Each E9 Kubwa bus is expected to save 20,000 liters of diesel annually and reduce CO2 emissions by 50 tonnes per year. This reduction in diesel consumption is particularly significant for Kenya, which imports all its petrol and diesel, easing the pressure on foreign currency demand.
Additionally, the use of locally generated renewable energy sources, such as geothermal, hydro, and wind, especially during off-peak overnight periods, further enhances the sustainability of this transition.
BasiGo and KVM aim to manufacture over 1,000 electric buses in the next three years, creating over 300 manufacturing jobs and an additional 300 jobs in the ecosystem of charging, maintenance, and financing. BasiGo’s Pay-As-You-Drive financing model and new lease options make it more affordable for bus owners to adopt electric buses, lowering the upfront cost significantly.
BasiGo already operates a fleet of over 20 electric buses in collaboration with various bus operators in Kenya. The company plans to increase this number to over 100 buses by the end of the year and over 1,000 by the end of 2026. The introduction of these electric buses is set to revolutionize the Kenyan bus market, which has seen an average of 1,274 bus sales annually from 2018 to 2022.
The introduction of 350 electric buses annually would represent about 16% of all buses sold in Kenya in 2022. This rapid adoption underscores how quickly the transition to electric vehicles can reshape the market, not just in Kenya but globally.