Bogotá will soon have largest electric bus fleet in Latin America

The Mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa, has revealed that TransMilenio intends to introduce 600 zero-emission buses which will be 100 per cent electric. This move comes in a bid to improve air quality conditions in the city by incorporating zero-emission and low-emission technologies. This initiative would give the city the largest fleet of electric buses in Latin America. 

To accommodate the electric buses, road safety, route coverage and the public transport systems will be assessed and determined if the transit systems require improvement. The new initiative will see more than 2,700 buses with clean technologies in use throughout the city.

The buses will come in three different sizes, and will be able to transport up to 80 passengers. It is estimated that around 2.4 million people use the public transport network in Bogotá everyday and subsequently these changes will reach the whole city.

The second phase of the project will see the implementation of technology into the fleet to improve road safety conditions, with the implementation of GPS, cameras, sensors, increased lighting and visibility, and increased training for drivers. It is important to highlight that the requested technical-mechanical characteristics are state-of-the-art technology and allow greater reliability of the vehicles on the road.

Additionally, to improve the travel experience of passengers, the new buses will offer Wi-Fi and will have USB ports to charge mobile devices.

Several bus manufacturers have been considered for the bid, notably, BYD, Miysui – Caetano, Siemens, Sunwin, Youtong, Yinlong, Dongfeng, Sinotruck, Foton, and Zhongtong.

The Mayor’s office has also said that ticket prices will not be affected as a means for paying for the changes within the public transport system.