The City of Cape Town’s first electric bus arrived from Johannesburg. Bodies of the MyCiTi electric bus fleet are being manufactured there. This prototype e-bus will be piloted on a variety of routes in coming weeks. It will determine its performance on steep inclines and downhill, in the city environment with many stop-and-goes, in heavy traffic during peak periods, and when travelling longer distances.
The City of Cape Town will take delivery of 38 low-floor battery-electric buses as part of the roll-out of the MyCiTi bus service to the metro-south east. The buses are expected to arrive during the current calendar year with the fleet earmarked for operational roll-out in 2027. These are 12-metre Volvo BZRLE battery-electric buses and the first MyCiTi buses where the bodies have been designed in South Africa and locally manufactured in Gauteng.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Mobility – Councillor Rob Quintas stated that the MyCiTi service is now 16 years old. Arrival of the first e-bus is a major highlight in this journey and supports the transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable public transport system that is more cost-effective to operate and maintain and is more resilient.
Quintas mentioned that some countries operating e-buses have noted a reduction of up to 70% in operating costs. They are eager to see how this bus performs in the local environment in coming weeks, in particular as they are operating in an increasingly volatile global energy market.
The prototype bus is branded in the familiar MyCiTi colours and will be tested on several routes across Cape Town. It will further include Hospital Bend, the N2 highway, in Camps Bay, and where appropriate, along other routes such as Polkadraai Road and Jip de Jager Drive.
If all goes as planned, the first e-buses will start operating by July 01, 2027 between Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, Wynberg and Claremont, as well as in the Cape Town CBD.
Cllr Rob Quintas encouraged residents to be on the lookout for this low-floor bus. It will be clearly branded. While the pilot will evaluate the vehicle under different operating conditions across the city, the electric bus fleet is earmarked for deployment as part of the roll-out of the second phase of the MyCiTi bus service between Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha and Wynberg and Claremont, and on routes within the Cape Town CBD.
The electric bus research is undertaken in collaboration with the University of Cape Town to test how the e-bus performs on different route profiles. And, how it is funded by the City of Cape Town and through a grant from the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI).
The pilot will assess battery performance, energy consumption, charging times, passenger loading, route profiles and the impact of Cape Town’s climate on vehicle performance. The findings will also assist the City of Cape Town in refining operational planning, including the charging strategies, maintenance requirements, driver training, infrastructure readiness and fleet deployment.
According to Quintas the research will help them in understanding how the electric buses will perform in the local context, and what challenges they need to consider before they roll out the e-bus fleet in 2027.
This information will ensure that they are well-prepared for the introduction of electric buses into scheduled passenger service. The operational data will support the successful roll out of the e-fleet and inform future investment in zero-emission public transport, making them greener and cleaner as they continue to keep Cape Town moving.
If all goes as planned, the first e-buses will start operating by July 01, 2027 between Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, Wynberg and Claremont, as well as in the Cape Town CBD. The acquisition of more battery-electric buses remains a strategic priority for the City and will depend on the availability of future funding from the National Government.