Ghana: Gov’t To Introduce Electric Buses For Public Transportation

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Jorge Appiah (left), CEO of SolarTaxiGh and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (right), Vice President of the Republic of Ghana

Ghana will soon incorporate the use of electric vehicles in its public transportation system as part of efforts to make the cost of transportation a bit less, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed.

According to him, electric vehicles represent the future, hence, the government is actively developing a policy framework to incorporate these vehicles into public transportation.

Vice President shared these remarks during his visit to SolarTaxiGh, a Ghanaian-owned electric vehicle manufacturer and the third largest such manufacturer in Africa.

“This will drastically reduce the cost of transportation as the major components of the cost are fuel and spare parts. It will also reduce carbon emissions,” he said.

SolarTaxiGh, an initiative launched by Kumasi Hive and supported by the Mastercard Foundation, focuses on harnessing solar energy for sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation solutions.

They manufacture motorcycles, cars and buses and also specialise in converting existing internal combustion engine vehicles into electric vehicles.

During his visit, Dr Bawumia expressed the pleasure of experiencing a ride in one of SolarTaxi’s buses, which can travel from Accra to Kumasi without requiring a battery recharge.

He highlighted that SolarTaxiGh, in collaboration with its banking partners, offers financing options for their motorcycles, cars and buses without the need for collateral.

“All they require is your Ghana Card ID and they will give you a vehicle which you can pay for over time.”

Furthermore, the Vice President commended SolarTaxi for its commendable efforts, noting that the average age of their employees is 26, with per cent of their engineers being female.

He urged public transportation companies such as Metro Mass, STC and ‘Ayalolo’ to seize the opportunity to acquire more electric buses and congratulated SolarTaxGh for its significant contributions to bringing electric vehicles into the mainstream in Ghana.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com