In a bid to reduce high level of emissions and air pollution in the state, Lagos State government on Sunday revealed that it has acquired electric buses for public transportation.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the buses were acquired by the state government in partnership with an indigenous oil firm, Oando, to ensure Lagosians get cleaner public transportation system in the state.
This was confirmed by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a statement released on Sunday through his official social media handle.
According to him, the two buses already acquired to test run the use of the brand of buses under the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a game-changer in Lagos public transportation system.
He noted that the state would have acquired and deployed the buses for public use but decided to partner to create a sustainable economy for Lagos.
The governor said, “With the ability to travel 280km at full charge, taking into account our unique travel times in Lagos, our electric buses are a game-changer. With an average daily usage of 200km by existing BRTs, there is no need to fear that the buses can stop while in transit.
“Our new electric buses will not only reduce carbon emissions but will also increase efficiency. This means that Lagosians can say goodbye to high fuel costs and hello to cost-efficient transportation.
“We shall be running a pilot scheme over the next few months to gather sufficient data required to analyse the operational efficiencies relative to the current BRT buses to further improve our public transport service.”
He explained that collaboration is a testament to our commitment to creating a sustainable future for Lagos.
“We understand the need for charging stations to power our electric buses, which is why we are partnering with Oando Clean Energy Limited to strategically place Universal Chargers at public places like malls and gas stations. We also plan to establish an Assembly Plant for Electric Buses in the near future.
“This is just the beginning of our efforts to transform Lagos into an even smarter city as we continue to increase our fleet of electric vehicles, further modernizing the Lagos transportation system,” he said.
