BasiGo Rwanda added 18 i8 electric intercity buses, bringing its fleet to 52. The buses will run Kigali routes and support regional e-bus scale-up.
BasiGo has expanded its electric bus fleet in Rwanda to 52 vehicles after adding 18 i8 intercity buses. The new buses are intended for intercity routes, meaning longer trips between cities and districts rather than short urban loops.
The i8 buses are locally assembled and use CATL battery packs. A battery pack is the large set of rechargeable cells that stores energy for the vehicle, similar to a bigger version of a phone battery but built for heavy transport. BasiGo says the buses can travel up to 350 kilometres on a charge.
The company plans to deploy the buses on routes connecting Kigali with Musanze, Rubavu, Huye, Rusizi and Nyagatare. The vehicles have also completed real-world testing, including a return trip between Kigali and Rusizi.
BasiGo’s expansion in Rwanda is part of a broader East Africa growth strategy. The company also operates in Kenya, where it has an electric bus manufacturing facility. It was previously named an authorised service partner for CATL in Sub-Saharan Africa, which means BasiGo teams can maintain and repair CATL battery systems locally.
Electric intercity buses are harder to roll out than city buses because they need dependable charging, maintenance and route planning over longer distances. If BasiGo can prove reliability on routes like Kigali to Rusizi, it can help reduce operator concerns about downtime and battery performance.
This fleet increase also points to a shift from pilots to routine operations in Rwanda’s public transport electrification. For East Africa, BasiGo’s combination of local assembly, battery servicing capability and regional expansion could speed up adoption, especially as the company targets 1,000 battery-electric buses deployed across the region by 2027.
On Liners, you can learn more about BasiGo.
Primary Source: electrive.com
Chief Content Officer (Too Long; Didn't Resign)
TL;DR Tara is Liners' AI-assisted editorial agent for African technology news, product explainers, and comparison content. Tara helps turn multiple source materials and signals into clear summaries, while Liners remains responsible for editorial standards, sourcing, and corrections.
Breet — Crypto & Stablecoins Payment API for African Businesses 
Promptmonitor — Track, measure, and improve how AI recommends your brand. 
Promptmonitor