Cape Town’s largest passenger bus operator plans to replace its ageing fleet with 120 electric buses during the 2025 calendar year, using solar power for recharging.
Golden Arrow Bus Service, which operates 1,200 diesel buses, purchases 60 new buses a year to replace the equivalent number of its oldest vehicles used by commuters.
Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, spokesperson for the company, said they had signed a deal with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD. “Last year we signed a bulk-purchase order with BYD for 120 electric buses to be delivered incrementally over the 2025 calendar year,” she said.
“We have two electric buses in service that we have been testing since 2020 and the first 20 of the order are [now] being brought into service. The next 30 buses should arrive in April and thereafter the licensing, branding and other service-ready requirements will be completed before they hit the road as part of our regular service offering.”
South Africa's electricity challenges, such as load-shedding, were taken into account when the buses were ordered.
“We have completed the installation of 30 charging stations with 60 dispensers. We will over the next year increase that to 60 charging stations with 120 dispensers,” she said.
“Before ordering the first batch of 120 buses we had extensively tested the two buses that we have had since 2020 over more than 200,000km. We generate our own solar power and are increasing this output continuously. The electricity being drawn from the grid is done outside Eskom’s peak hours.
“We have signed a memorandum of agreement with Eskom, which enables us to work closely with Eskom to ensure that they are given the opportunity to learn all they need to about large-scale electric vehicle charging to prepare for the changing transport landscape.
“Our ultimate aim is to work with IPPs [independent power producers] and other sustainable electricity producers to minimise our reliance on traditionally sourced electricity.”
Extensive tests on the first two buses had enabled the operator to “get a very clear view of how electric buses fit into our specific operational requirements.
“They have performed very well and given us the necessary confidence to proceed with the rollout of 120 buses.
“We believe there are multiple benefits associated with electric buses when compared to their internal combustion engine counterparts, which include a significant reduction in our carbon footprint, a reduction in noise and air pollution experienced by Capetonians and ultimately that there are long-term cost savings related to the operational and maintenance costs of these vehicles.”
Cape Town councillor Rob Quintas, the mayoral committee member for urban mobility, announced last month that its MyCiTi buses travelling towards the Civic Centre station in the CBD would avoid the steep incline known as Hospital Bend. The buses, with combustion engines, struggled going uphill.
“Given the steep gradient at Hospital Bend and being at full capacity, the inbound buses are travelling at very low speeds towards the city centre. This adds to the congestion in the peak morning periods, and as such, we decided to explore alternative routes where the buses do not need to travel up Hospital Bend,” said Quintas.
Asked about some of the steep gradients in the city and how the electric buses would fare, Dyke-Beyer said the new buses were tested in the “most rigorous of Cape Town’s terrains, fully loaded, to maximum legal carrying capacity, and under varying conditions and found that they are indeed up to the challenge.
“It is important to note that Golden Arrow did not make any assumptions about suitability — we physically tested these vehicles ourselves to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The buses are custom built to Golden Arrow’s existing specifications which was a very important factor in making the bulk purchase.”
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