The Flone initiative which is a woman-led organization that deals with improving safety, affordability, and a comfortable and sustainable transport system for women, vulnerable people in the society and Persons with Disabilities in conjunction with Roam today presented an ALL inclusive Electric Bus. The electric bus is disability friendly in that it has hydraulic features that enable it to adjust according to the comfort of the passenger.
The electric bus which was built by Roam electrics was flagged off in KICC by The Head of the Road Transport Services unit at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Kenya, Martin Eshiwani and welcomed by the Flone initiative on the 15th of July. It has a capacity of carrying 77 passengers and ramps reserved for Persons with Disabilities with mobility difficulties. In a meeting conducted at a hotel in Nairobi, a test drive was conducted, familiarizing people with the features of the bus.
While speaking to Signs TV in an interview, the driver noted some key features of the bus, in which he pointed out that being electric, the bus is environment friendly.
“This bus is the best when it comes to maintaining a healthy environment. It does not use diesel or petrol so you will never find it emitting carbon monoxide,” said the driver.
Further, he noted that the electric bus takes 3-5hours to fully charge, after which it can travel up to 400kilometres before charging again.
“I think during the fuel crisis, if we had more electric vehicles then the economy could not have been affected, why? This bus takes 3 hours and a maximum of 5 for it to fully charge. After that, it will travel even 400 Kilometers without charging it again,” he added.
Training of stage managers is also to be conducted to improve the interaction between the matatu operators and Persons with Disabilities. The aim of the training conducted by the Flone Initiative is to improve and deduce the best ways to handle Persons with Disabilities in the public transport sector.
By: Ann Mburia