Lagos unveils 11 new electric buses, targets 552 for public transport
The Lagos State Government has unveiled 11 additional electric buses as part of efforts to promote cleaner and more sustainable public transportation across the state.
The buses, supplied by Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL) under the regulation of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), represent the first batch of a 50-bus commitment by the company under the current phase of the initiative.
The latest deployment builds on the pilot scheme launched in 2023 with two electric buses and is expected to pave the way for the eventual introduction of 552 electric buses across public transport corridors in Lagos.
Speaking at the presentation, the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the transition to cleaner energy was necessary to meet the transportation needs of the state as its population and economic activities continued to grow. He added that Lagos was pursuing carbon emission reductions in line with its net-zero target for 2050.
The Managing Director of LAMATA, Abimbola Akinajo, described the presentation as evidence of progress made through collaboration between the state government and private-sector partners. She said electric buses would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and minimise noise pollution.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of Oando Clean Energy Limited, Ademola Ogunbanjo, described the initiative as a significant development in electric mobility in Nigeria and Africa. He recalled that the partnership with LAMATA began with a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2022, followed by the deployment of two pilot buses in 2023.
Ogunbanjo said the pilot phase enabled the partners to test the technology, assess its operational performance and environmental impact, and evaluate public acceptance. He added that Oando planned to develop charging infrastructure, maintenance facilities, technical manpower, spare-parts supply chains and eventual local vehicle assembly, with support from the Bank of Industry, Wema Bank and Yutong, while exploring funding partnerships with the Africa Finance Corporation and International Finance Corporation.
Expressing confidence in the initiative’s potential for expansion across Nigeria, Ogunbanjo said, “If it can work in Lagos, it can work anywhere in Nigeria. The future of mobility is electric, and that future is already taking shape here in Lagos”.
