Lagos State has received 11 new electric buses supplied by Oando Clean Energy Limited to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), as the partnership works towards a long-term target of deploying 552 electric vehicles for public transportation across the state.
Hadiza Adukonu, Vice President, Opportunity, Maturation & New Ventures at Oando Clean Energy, disclosed this in a video shared by LAMATA on its X account announcing the arrival of the buses.
The latest delivery brings the number of electric buses supplied by Oando under the initiative to 13, including two previously delivered and deployed in May 2023.
Speaking in the video, Adukonu said the 11 buses are the first batch of an additional 50 planned for Lagos, with 39 more expected to follow.
Oando Clean Energy and LAMATA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2022 to promote sustainable transportation in the state, leading to the deployment of their first two electric buses in May 2023.
The buses, manufactured by China’s Yutong, can carry 39 seated and 40 standing passengers. They are equipped with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, 360-degree cameras and additional security cameras, as well as wheelchair access and priority seating for elderly passengers.
Adukonu also provided details of the performance of the first two electric buses deployed in 2023, highlighting their passenger capacity, distance covered and energy consumption over the three-year period.
According to her, the buses transported 788,000 passengers and covered 433,000 kilometres between May 2023 and the time of the announcement.
LAMATA said the 11 buses advance its plan to introduce an initial 50 zero-emission vehicles into the state’s public transport network, with a longer-term ambition of scaling up to 552 electric buses. The authority also expects the expansion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and noise along major transport corridors while lowering reliance on conventional fuels.
The latest delivery comes as LAMATA implements a policy to phase out diesel-powered buses from Lagos’ regulated public transport system. Under the policy, operators introducing new buses are restricted to compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric vehicles.
The state policy identifies gas and electricity as cleaner fuel options for reducing emissions from public transportation.
As previously reported by Nairametrics, the clean-energy target forms part of Lagos’ wider plan to modernise public transportation and reduce the environmental impact of its transport network.
