Ruto To Launch Electric Matatus, Lower Fares Significantly

President William Ruto has announced that a new transport system is in development which will help bring down the cost of transport, including fares.

In his Madaraka Day speech at Moi Stadium Embu on Thursday, June 1, the Head of State revealed that plans were underway to launch an electric vehicle public transport system.

This will see matatu operators take up electric buses to deal with the high cost of fuel.

"As international petroleum prices continue to rise beyond reach, the cost of fuel locally rises steeply. Transport, as a component of household budgets, is affecting the cost of living.

"We have to liberate Kenyans from reliance on transport that depends on petroleum. For this reason, we are rolling out an electric vehicle public transport system which will bring down the cost of transport significantly," he announced.

To achieve this, President Ruto urged matatu operators to embrace the new technology to keep their businesses afloat by avoiding the high cost of operations as a result of uncertainties in global fuel prices.

The electric public vehicle system is also set to cut down on the emissions of gases considered toxic to the atmosphere and mitigate the effects of climate change, part of his economic transformation and climate action agenda ever since he rose to power.

So far, Embassava, Metro Trans, Super Metro and Citi Hoppa have all taken up electric buses courtesy of BasiGo, an e-mobility start-up looking to revolutionize the public transportation sector by providing public transport bus owners with a cost-effective electric alternative.

With Kenya’s 90 per cent renewable electricity, these five electric buses will mitigate approximately 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over their life, while reducing Kenya’s demand for imported diesel fuel by almost 100,000 litres per year.

The buses were deployed across different routes which commuters have preferred to over their diesel counterparts to save them from high fares amidst the high cost of fuel.

President Ruto also revealed that the boda boda industry will be subjected to huge changes through the introduction of efficient, affordable and clean motorbikes.

"Our boda boda industry is about to experience inclusive transformation through the introduction of more efficient, affordable and clean vehicles. With this intervention, owning and operating a boda boda will become affordable, secure and profitable.

"I am eager that this information reaches the seconder of my presidential nomination, Mr Calvin Ochieng, who operates in Kilimani so that he can escalate his hustle to the next level," he added.

The Head of State noted that the boda boda riders will be able to access the electric bikes from September 2023.

“By September this year we will have a mechanism where you can get your boda boda that does not need petrol will be run by electricity, and is financed by not a predatory system but one that respects the interests of those who purchase the boda bodas,” he stated.

The changes came amidst some public transport operators hiking prices to meet the high cost of fuel by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

The latest fuel prices for between Monday, May 15 and Wednesday, June 14 saw the price of Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene increase by Ksh3.40 per litre, Ksh6.40 per litre and Ksh15.19 per litre respectively.

Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene thus retail at Ksh182.70, Ksh168.40 and Ksh161.13 respectively up from Ksh179.3, Ksh162 and Ksh145.94, respectively, in Nairobi.