AVA to assemble BasiGo Electric buses in Kenya

BasiGo and AVA have announced a partnership that will see the latter assemble modern electric buses for BasiGo in Kenya. In January 2023, AVA successfully completed final assembly of 15 25-seater electronic buses, shipped in partially assembled by BasiGo, set to start operations 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 elated to be partnering with AVA, the country’s leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles who have had expertise many years in assembly in the country. We are confident that this partnership will put Kenya on the map as a leader in the manufacturing of modern electric vehicles.

Moses Nderitu, Chief Revenue Officer of BasiGo added,“With AVA’s decades of experience and certified production processes, we will be delivering high-quality electric buses to PSV operators in the region. Together, BasiGo and AVA are making Kenya a leader in the manufacturing of state-of-the-art electric vehicles, a segment that is destined to grow rapidly in the years to come.”

BasiGo and AVA aim to manufacture over 1,000 electric buses in the next 3 years, creating over 300 new manufacturing jobs and an additional 300 jobs in the ecosystem of charging, maintenance, and financing required to support electric buses in operation.

This partnership will also see the company assemble 33-seater buses as the company seeks to phase out the 25-seater buses used in the pilot project guided by feedback from Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators. With this partnership, BasiGo, the first company to introduce electric buses into Kenya also becomes the first to assemble EVs locally.

Since launching in March 2022, BasiGo’s electric buses have driven over 141,000 kilometers and carried over 185,000 passengers as part of fleet operations with 2 Nairobi bus operators East Shuttle and Citi Hoppa.