KCB has penned an agreement with BasiGo Kenya Ltd, an e-mobility startup and financing firm, that will enable PSV operators to access flexible financing to acquire Green buses.

The deal announced on Tuesday will see customers access up to 90 per cent funding and a 36-month repayment period to also tame greenhouse emissions to mitigate climate change.

BasiGo will provide embedded tracking, and fleet management gadgets already installed on the electric bus as well as insurance financing, battery charging, service, and maintenance.

“The key to getting electric buses on the road in Kenya is to make them affordable to PSV owners. The partnership we have signed today with KCB Bank is game-changing. It will allow bus owners to secure asset financing for an electric bus exactly in line with how they have been purchasing diesel buses," said Jit Bhattacharya, CEO and Co-Founder, BasiGo.

Bhattacharya added: “With KCB’s pioneering support for this technology and BasiGo’s Pay-As-You-Drive financing, we have made electric buses more affordable and more convenient for owners to purchase and operate than a diesel bus.”

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BasiGo’s electric buses can be purchased on a blended Sale/Operating lease model from Sh5,000,000, with BasiGo retaining ownership of the bus battery, which is then leased to the PSV operator via the Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) subscription.


BasiGo offers PAYD subscriptions at Sh20 per kilometer driven and mitigates risks to PSV operators by guaranteeing battery performance and providing all charging and maintenance services for the bus throughout its life.

Esther Waititu, the KCB Bank Director of Corporate Banking, says the arrangement is in line with the bank’s vision to leverage partnerships that seek to provide value to its customers.

“Entrenching sustainability in our operations means that we always consider our economic, social and environmental impact before we make any decision on partnerships and collaborations. We are delighted to partner with BasiGo as this reflects our commitment to supporting key customers to derive value from their long-standing loyalty,” said Waititu.

The bank says the product will also see KCB SAHL Banking clients, under the Shariah-compliant banking model, enabled to buy the electric buses from BasiGo at affordable rates.


BasiGo finished its pilot program that started in March 2022 in partnership with Citi Hoppa and East Shuttle, which drove over 90,000 km and carried more than 112,000 commuters.

The green buses company says it has already received more than 100 reservations for its K6 Electric bus and is set to deliver new buses in early 2023 to SACCOs on the reservation list.

The deal between KCB and BasiGo comes at a time amid appeals to institutions to embrace sustainable practices by adopting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help reduce global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide by about 45 percent by 2030.