The government of Senegal and Paris based Meridiam have signed a deal that will see the French asset management company acquire and run the Bus Rapid Transfer scheme -also known as BRT- in that country.
The value of the investment in the acquisition of electric buses amounts to 127 billion francs approximately 193.6 million euros out of a total project cost of 300 billion francs. The 15-year concession contract covers “the acquisition, operation and maintenance of rolling stock and BRT systems”.
Meridiam will provide an initial fleet of 121 completely electric buses and batteries and will provide an alternative to the existing diesel bus network, popularly known as rapides.
Senegal’s BRT project also includes the construction of more than 80 kilometres of roads, bus stops and terminals; as well as workshops and depots. When completed, it will complement the regional express train running between Dakar and its suburbs. The project is financed by donors such as the World Bank, with counterpart funding from a consortium comprising French state-owned companies SNCF and RATP, French transport operator Kéolis and Fonsis, a Senegalese and a Senegalese investment fund.
Similar to Nigeria’s commercial capital city Lagos where a BRT system operates, Dakar is also unpopular for its traffic jams and is said to cost the city 152 million in lost man-hours, every year.