The City of Cape Town has received its first electric MyCiti bus, marking the start of a new chapter for the public transport service.
The new bus has just arrived from Johannesburg, where the bodies of the MyCiti electric fleet are being manufactured.
The City stated that this first electric bus (e-bus) will serve as a prototype, and that it plans to pilot the new technology on a variety of routes to evaluate its performance.
This includes steep inclines and descents, long-distance routes, heavy traffic during peak commuting times, and urban environments with frequent stop-and-goes.
All-in-all, the City plans to take delivery of 38 low-floor battery-electric buses, which will be deployed to the MyCiti bus service in the metro south-east.
The rest of the buses are expected to arrive during the current calendar year, and the fleet is scheduled to be deployed in 2027.
The buses themselves are 12-metre Volvo BZRLE electric models. Cape Town’s management said these are the first MyCiTi buses where the bodies have been designed in South Africa and locally manufactured in Gauteng.
“The MyCiTi service is now 16 years old. The arrival of our first e-bus is a major highlight in this journey and supports our transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable public transport system that is not only more cost-effective to operate and maintain, but more resilient,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.
“Some countries operating e-buses have noted a reduction of up to 70% in operating costs. We are eager to see how this bus performs in our local environment in coming weeks, in particular as we are operating in an increasingly volatile global energy market.”
MyCiti bus service going electric
The prototype bus is branded like any of the other MyCiti vehicles, using the familiar red, white, and blue colour scheme. However, it also has clear markings advertising its EV powertrain.
The City plans to test the new bus on several popular routes, including Hospital Bend, the N2 highway, through Camps Bay, and on Polkadraai Road and Jip de Jager Drive.
“I encourage residents to be on the lookout for this low-floor bus. It will be clearly branded,” said Quintas.
“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 pilot phase is being conducted by the City in collaboration with the University of Cape Town. The project is funded by the City and by a grant from the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative.
Testers will examine the e-bus’s performance to assess its battery, energy consumption, charging times, passenger loading, and route profiles.
They will also assess how Cape Town’s climate impacts the vehicle’s performance.
These findings will assist the city in refining the operational planning for the MyCiti service, including charging strategies, maintenance requirements, driver training, infrastructure readiness, and fleet deployment.
“The research will help us understand how the electric buses will perform in our local context, and what challenges we need to consider before we roll out the e-bus fleet in 2027. This information will ensure that we are well-prepared for the introduction of electric buses into scheduled passenger service,” said Quintas.
“The operational data will support the successful roll out of the e-fleet and inform future investment in zero-emission public transport, making us greener and cleaner as we continue to keep Cape Town moving.”
Cape Town said that the first e-buses will begin operating by 1 July 2027 between Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, Wynberg and Claremont, as well as in the CBD.
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