Major transport company putting 120 electric buses on the road

Golden Arrow is on track to expand its fleet of electric buses on the road to 120 by the end of the year.

The company currently has 77 electric buses in operation and has made a deal with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD to supply the remaining vehicles needed to reach 120.

Golden Arrow Bus Services spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyers, in a conversation with Cape Talk, has also noted that the company’s charging depot, Arrowgate, can charge 60 buses simultaneously.

“Through some very exciting partnerships and, unfortunately, not very much help from government, we’ve now reached the stage where we’ve got these 77 buses on the road,” she said.

She also noted that they intend to expand Arrowgate’s capacity to accommodate the 120 electric buses they plan to have on the road by the end of the year.

“Our Arrowgate depot can currently charge 60 buses at once, and by the end of October, we’ll be able to charge all 120 buses at the exact same time,” said Dyke-Beyers.

Unsurprisingly, the Arrowgate charging facility is already the largest of its kind in South Africa, and this upgrade will only consolidate this title.

The deal with BYD to facilitate this expansion was announced in July last year, and Dyke-Beyers noted that it was a bold choice motivated by a desire to reduce carbon emissions and its reliance on diesel.

Golden Arrow estimates that the electricity costs needed to run the buses will be around 70% less than diesel.

Thus far, Golden Arrow has spent R750 million on the project, with Dyke-Beyers saying that they intend to play the long game as it will take some time to see a return on the investment.

“The savings are not going to be immediate, unfortunately. We would love to be able to pass that on quickly, but the initial capital outlet is much higher,” she said.

The buses that Golden Arrow is acquiring from BYD are 12.5-meter B12 electric buses with 65 seats and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

These buses also boast BYD’s six-in-one controller for enhanced efficiency, which has two electric motor control units, one steering control unit, one air compressor controller, one DC-DC controller, and one power distribution unit.

Public chargers

Smart EV, the company responsible for Golden Arrow’s Arrowgate depot, has also launched its first public EV charger in early September 2025.

The charger is near the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and Smart EV CEO Mike Pritchard stated that its doors are open to anyone who owns or plans to own an electric car.

“Smart EV’s aim is to make sure that every electric vehicle in South Africa has access to quality charging in all major hubs across the country, whether it’s grid-based, solar, or a fusion of the two,” he said.

“We started with the biggest and best fleet charging station in Africa, but Smart EV now also brings EV charging to the everyday user.”

He also noted that Smart EV offers products and services perfect for fleet owners, public transport operators, vehicle manufacturers, retail developers, and complex managers, among others, looking to save on fuel costs.

Golden Arrow is a prominent example of this partnership, with one of its bus service engineers, Gideon Neethling, noting their great relationship with STS Tech Group, the company that owns Smart EV.

“We see this relationship going forward and building on our past performance,” he said.

“In South Africa, we are the only bus company that operates electric vehicles on a large scale, and we believe the other guys will follow.”