Senegal has launched the first electric bus rapid transit (BRT) project in the capital city of Dakar.
At the launch ceremony, Senegal's Prime Minister Amadou Ba said that this project is a very modern infrastructure, and also a great innovation.
The Dakar BRT project, which boasts a total length of 18.3 kilometers and 23 bus stations and three transfer stations, was built by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). All the electric buses for this project were provided by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.
After the launch, the travel time from the suburbs of Dakar to the city center will be reduced by half, and urban mobility will be improved, said Huang Fei, project manager of CRBC.
The project created 1,500 jobs during construction and is expected to provide more than 1,000 jobs after starting operation, said Huang.
According to the World Bank and Wikipedia, the countries with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in Africa are:
- Nigeria
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Morocco
- Ghana
- Senegal
- Cameroon
- Uganda
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Mozambique
- Burkina Faso
BRT is a high-capacity public transport service that generally runs on dedicated lanes, offering fast and consistent journey times. BRT is enjoying growing popularity in Africa, where six systems are already operational and another ten are under development. BRT can be an effective way to keep African cities moving while reducing the carbon footprint of transport.
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