Ugandan firm kicks off 13,000 km South Africa e-bus trip

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Ugandan government-owned electric bus company Kiira Motors Corporation has commenced a 13,000 km journey from the capital Kampala to the South African city of Cape Town to showcase the capability of its electric bus. The journey will take the locally-made 13-metre Kayoola 2025 electric bus through six countries and will take 30 days to complete. 

• Electric buses are mainly used for intra-city travel in Africa, where charging stations are scarce. Kiira’s expedition is primarily a marketing exercise for the buses but will also test the practicality of electric buses for long distance trips.   

• Kiira faces the handicap of being state-owned, resulting in funding shortages that limit its ability to fulfill bulk orders. This contrasts with privately-held competitors like BasiGo, which are able to attract capital faster. 

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