South Africa turns to electric buses for mass transit

July 14, 2025

From the newsletter 

Cape Town, South Africa’s second largest city, is set to procure 30 electric buses from Volvo Bus Southern Africa for its bus rapid transit (BRT) service. The first buses are scheduled for delivery in 2027. They will be assembled locally, with only the Volvo BZRLE bus chassis imported. The city has also placed a separate tender for the installation of charging infrastructure. 

  • South Africa has one of the most robust BRT systems in Africa, while other countries like Nigeria, Tanzania, Morocco, Ghana, and Senegal also have their own BRT services. Others like Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt are developing or expanding their BRT infrastructure.  

  • African countries are turning to electric buses to make their mass transport not only cheaper but also cleaner. BRTs are mainly run by national or regional governments, enabling the state to make the leap to electric fleets faster. 

More details

  • The Volvo electric buses that will be supplied to Cape Town are already operational in Australia, the UK, the Middle East, South America, Sweden and other European countries. “This project is more than just a bus delivery – this will be the first electric bus manufactured in South Africa for South Africa,” explained Volvo Bus Southern Africa director Leon Nelson. 

  • Cape Town is not new to electric buses. It was the first city in Africa to use electric buses for public transport. In 2016, the city awarded China’s BYD a tender to supply it with 11 electric buses. Privately-owned Golden Arrow Bus Services, which operates in the city, has contracted the Chinese firm to supply 120 electric buses that are being deployed in the city in phases. 

  • There are an estimated 39,941 registered buses in South Africa. About 19,000 of these are used for public transport. The remaining 6,000 are operated by businesses or government entities. This high demand shows the potential of electric buses. While the number of electric buses in the country is tiny, efforts by both private and government players are helping increase purchases. 

  • Africa currently relies on imported electric buses, mainly from China’s Yutong and BYD. European bus manufacturers like Volvo, Scania and Mercedes-Benz, which already have a big presence in the continent’s diesel bus market, are also aiming to grow their market share. However, a local assembly industry is emerging, especially in Kenya and Kenya, led by BasiGo and Kiira Motors Corporation in the two countries respectively, as well as in Ethiopia and Nigeria.  

  • Yutong is also set to build the first electric bus assembly plant in Senegal, following an agreement signed recently at the Hangzhou Economic Forum. The company will execute the project together with Chinese peer Zhenhuai Construction Group, focusing on both vehicle production and infrastructure upgrades. The plant will produce 6,000 buses in five years. 

  • The economics of electric buses are improving, with purchase prices coming down and bus companies introducing innovative financing models to facilitate ownership, which is key for private bus operators. International finance and donor organisations like the AfDB, UNEP, GEF, EU and Green Climate Fund are also backing feasibility studies and pilots for electric BRT systems in Africa, which could support the accelerated rollout of electric buses. 

Our take

  • The Volvo-Cape Town project shows the potential for localized production. Governments and OEMs across Africa should replicate this model — importing chassis but building bodies and assembling buses locally — to create jobs, reduce costs, and develop industrial capacity.

  • Cities planning e-BRT systems must synchronize bus procurement with investment in reliable charging infrastructure. This includes depot chargers, renewable energy integration, and grid upgrades to avoid operational delays when buses arrive. 

  • Governments should work with development banks and climate funds to offer lease-to-own or availability-based contracts that de-risk adoption for public and private operators. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) and green bonds can also help scale deployment.