Kenyan-Swedish company Roam has rolled out the first-ever 77-seater Electric Bus in Nairobi city to Encourage clean energy by reducing carbon emissions.
The Green Energy manufacturing company unveiled its first mass transit electric bus, to encourage environmentally friendly commuting in a city crowded with smog-belching minivans.
“This represents a shift towards better transport where we can have people ride in comfort and enjoy the ride with a clear conscience because we are talking about zero emissions,” Roam’s project coordinator Dennis Wakaba told AFP.
The electric bus has a maximum speed of up to 70 kilometres per hour (43 miles per hour) and a battery pack that allows a travel distance of 360 kilometres before requiring a recharge.
Most commuter transport is privately operated in Nairobi, and Roam claimed that fares on the electric bus would challenge those offered by its polluting competitors.
Close to 80 percent of commuters in Nairobi use ‘Matatus’ (minivans) which are poorly regulated and sustained, popular for daunting manoeuvres and trails of sooty black carbon emission streaking behind battered chassis.
“For a long time, Nairobi was known as the green city under the sun. That glory has been fading away, but we want to bring that life back,” Wakaba noted.
“Nairobi has been seen as a leader of innovation and we see it as a good starting point to deploy these buses.” He added.
The transport sector is responsible for about 12 percent of Kenya’s emissions, even though the government figures indicate a rise of up to 45 percent in Nairobi.
Green automobiles are still uncommon on roads as the city only has one charging station despite the government trimming back taxes to encourage their uptake.
The green automobile startup company also manufactures electric safari vehicles and motorbikes, intending to roll out 100 electric buses over the next year.
Earlier this year another electric mobility startup, BasiGo, unveiled a 25-seater bus with a 250-kilometre range for Nairobi’s roads.
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Paul Njokah, one of the new electric bus drivers, noted that cleaner vehicles would improve pollution in the city and its associated health problems.
“Kenya’s transport industry is sobering up. We will see more electric vehicles and civility on the road,” 60-year-old Njokah said.
