Our Rating
The overall rating is based on review by our experts
PERFORMANCE
5 / 10
BATTERY
7 / 10
BODY
3 / 10
DISPLAYS
5 / 10
COMFORT
6 / 10
SAFETY
7 / 10
PROS
- A 360 km range on a single charge covers a full day of urban operations
- Charging takes under two hours
- The bus is assembled entirely in Kenya, reducing import dependency and supporting local manufacturing capacity
CONS
- The bus is still in a pilot phase for fleet rollout
- Battery components are imported rather than sourced locally
The Roam Rapid is a fully electric mass transit bus launched in Kenya in 2022 by Roam, a Swedish- Kenyan electric vehicle company. It is a 77-seater (90 including standing passengers), making it a high-capacity full-size urban transit bus — positioned squarely in the public transport segment and built to replace diesel-powered city buses on high-demand routes.
The Roam Rapid runs on a 384-kWh battery pack with a stated range of 360 kilometres, a top speed of 70 km/h, and the battery can be fully charged in under two hours via DC charging ports. For normal daily operations, Roam says operators can run all day without needing to recharge mid-route.
Roam’s pricing strategy for the Rapid targets cost parity with a comparable diesel bus at the point of purchase, with operators expected to use the operational savings — estimated at a minimum of 60% — to pay off the remainder of the cost in under four years through a lease-to-own model. This makes it practical primarily for bus operators, city transport authorities, and public transit cooperatives in African urban markets. Within Roam’s own lineup, it sits alongside the Roam Move, a smaller 41–51-seat shuttle bus with a 170-kWh battery and 200 km range, and the Roam Air, an electric motorcycle built for commercial and commuter use. Alternative competitors in the electric bus segment include the BYD eBus-12 and Yutong E12, both of which offer longer ranges and established global service networks but are not locally assembled for African markets. By comparison, the Roam Rapid holds a clear edge over a standard Kenyan diesel bus in running costs, though it lacks the global parts and service infrastructure of the Chinese alternatives.
Roam Rapid Images
