The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state will in the near future establish an assembly plant for electric buses.

He said this while announcing the arrival of the first set of electric buses newly added to the Lagos Mass Transit Master Plan aimed to “reduce carbon emissions in the state.”

In a post on his official Twitter handle, @jidesanwoolu, the governor expressed delight that with the buses, “Lagosians can expect a cleaner and greener public transportation system.”

He said the buses would be powered by universal chargers placed at public places and gas stations as a result of a partnership with Oando Clean Energy Limited.

Sanwo-Olu 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.

“This 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.