Bawumia's electric buses to be commissioned on Wednesday

A number of electric buses (EV) have arrived in the country and are set to begin test operations this week in the capital, Accra, after official commissioning by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

The arrival of the EV buses, is an early realisation of a vision of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who has been advocating for the adoption of electric vehicles in Ghana as a cost-cutting measure.

Earlier this year, Dr. Bawumia announced that, as part of his plans to reduce cost of living, his government, if elected President, will adopt the use of electric vehicles for public transportation, which he said, is cheaper to operate and will thus, reduce the cost of public transportation.

However, before even the election is held, Dr. Bawumia announced plans to start the programme with a pilot in Accra this year - a plan which has now been actualised with the arrival of a number of buses in Accra.

Dr. Bawumia argues that operating electric buses in Ghana, will significantly reduce cost of public transportation by up to between 40-50% of present rates.

After Wednesday's launch, the first symbolic trial of the electric buses is scheduled to begin in Accra, on the Adenta-Accra route on Wednesday, before they are rolled out in other parts of the Capital.

A second set of buses, which are expected to arrive in the country early next year, will expand to Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region and other regions.