The Swedish-Kenyan company called “Opibus” launched their first African designed and fabricated electric bus in Kenya as part of its initiative to bring clean energy to public transportation and the atmosphere.
Opibus is the same industry that made electric motorcycles in Kenya. It is now planning to launch the bus commercially in the sixth-seventh month of this year and will bring it to whole African markets across Africa by 2023.
According to “Benjamin Maina”, one of the first drivers to drive the Opibus “, I feel honoured while driving this vehicle. It feels amazing when you drive this vehicle compared to the fossil fuel vehicle because fossil fuel vehicles always do a lot of vibration and make a lot of noise. But when you drive this vehicle, you will smooth and the difference between these two vehicles.”
The introduction of electric buses by Opibus aims to “reduce carbon emissions in Nairobi and other African cities.
As per “Albin Wilson”, the chief of strategy and marketing at Opibus, “this electric bus really plays an important role in shifting from fossil fuel vehicles to clean electric mobility. And further, he said, we feel proud to be the first movers in this market with a bus that is even locally developed.”
Christopher Maina, a local resident of Nairobi, spoke about his experience as a passenger who took a ride on an electric bus.
He added “that today’s ride is one of its own, having ridden on an electric vehicle. It was just amazing and cool, no noises like the explosion engines, there were no smells like the combustion engines. So, it just felt amazing when you sat in that vehicle.”
The automobile company also tested it. They tested ten buses in Nairobi to ensure that the product was optimised to the region’s requirements.