APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – The Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure is working assiduously to introduce the first-ever set of 205 electric-powered buses for public transport in the country, APA learnt Friday from an authoritative source in Kigali.
The Rwandan minister of Infrastructure, Ernest Nsabimana who disclosed this said his ministry was currently developing a mobility policy to guide the deployment and scale-up of electric vehicles in the country.
According to him, the move is in line of current efforts to tackle road accidents while addressing the bus shortage issue.
According to the senior government official, these buses are being acquired to counter the ongoing challenges in the public transport system in Kigali, which has been causing inconvenience to commuters.
“Current plans are in place to procure 205 electric-powered buses later, aligning with environmental protection efforts,” Dr Nsabimana said.
Latest estimates by climate experts show that vehicular emissions are currently the leading cause of increasing air pollution in cities in Rwanda.
It said that transportation in this East African country is mostly based on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that have negative environmental impacts in the form of air pollution hazardous to health, emission of greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change, noise pollution, and others.
The government of Rwanda has prioritized the transition to e-mobility to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Transport contributes 13% of Rwanda’s national GHG emissions, according to official estimates
CU/as/APA