Residents of Senegal’s central city, Dakar, will be able to ride on Africa’s first all-electric BUS Rapid Transit (BRT) buses in January 2024. Dakar Mobilité, the private business under a PPP agreement with the Senegalese government to operate the infrastructure component of the all-electric BRT network, received 121 large-capacity electric vehicles from Chinese manufacturer CRRC on November 28, 2023.
The all-electric Dakar BRT system is a crucial project in Senegal’s energy transformation program and part of a larger plan to reconstruct Dakar’s public transportation network by 2025. The Senegalese government’s conscious attempt to reduce air emissions and the carbon footprint related to transportation in Dakar is reflected in the 100% electric BRT system, which will span 18.3 kilometres of Dakar.
According to CETUD’s website, the all-electric Dakar BRT network will help eliminate an estimated 59,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The Dakar all-electric BRT system will run 18.3 kilometres from the Petersen bus station on the Dakar Plateau (in the city centre) to the prefecture of Guédiawaye in Dakar’s northern suburbs. From north to south, the BRT route will connect 23 stations and 14 of the city’s most densely populated neighbourhoods via four lines (one “omnibus” line and three express or semi-express lines).
When fully operational in the summer of 2024, the BRT system is expected to transport 300,000 passengers daily between the suburbs and the Dakar city centre.
Furthermore, the Dakar all-electric BRT system is anticipated to reduce traffic and air quality, improve accessibility, and cut travel time from one area of Dakar to the other in half, from 90 to 45 minutes.
