The bus service has been testing electric vehicle buses since 2021. By 2025, it hopes to have at least 60 of these buses on Cape Town's roads. Its chief engineer says electric vehicle fleets is the way to go -- as retailers have also found.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the way of the future. And in the city of Cape Town, within two years, public transport will be quieter, smoother and less foul-smelling.
By December 2025, Golden Arrow Bus Service will have no fewer than 60 electric buses on Cape Town's roads, as part of its fleet renewal programme.
The bus service, owned by Frontier Transport -- a JSE-listed company, of which Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) is the biggest shareholder -- is the biggest public transport bus service operator in the city.
Founded in 1861, Golden Arrow Bus Service operates a fleet of about 1,200 buses, with more than 220,000 commuters using the service daily.
The bus service has conducted more than 100,000km of testing since early 2021, in which it put four EV buses -- three BYDs from China and a German MAN -- through their paces. The BYD buses were built in China and imported, while the MAN chassis was imported and built in Olifantsfontein, outside Tshwane.
Gideon Neethling, the chief engineer at Golden Arrow Bus Service, told Daily Maverick that the service buys five new buses per month. "From now, they'll be EVs, not diesel buses, as part of our fleet renewal...
