Councillor Rob Quintas, the City’s mayoral committee member for urban mobility, has stated that Cape Town intends to introduce electric buses to its MyCiti service by 2027.
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Incorporation of these buses into MyCiTi Phase 2A is set to expand the bus service’s reach to encompass Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Wynberg, and Claremont.
This marks the City’s second venture into zero-emission technology adoption, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2018.
Since then, e-buses have made considerable strides in both range and technology.
Quintas informed Engineering News Online that the Cape Town council has greenlit the Urban Mobility Directorate to progress with integrating alternative energy buses into Phase 2A.
‘At this point in time it is foreseen that the first routes will be operational by mid-2027, if all goes as planned,’ said Quintas.
The MyCiTi service is not solely banking on e-buses. Cape Town’s Climate Change Action Plan pledges to increase the presence of electric or alternative-fuel-powered vehicles on the streets by 2050.
This commitment extends to freight vehicles, buses, taxis, and private cars.
Consequently, the Mobility Directorate is charged with the responsibility of striving for carbon neutrality across Cape Town’s road network.
This objective is in line with the national Department of Transport’s Green Transport Strategy (2018–2050), which aims for 10% of municipal bus fleets to transition to clean energy within the next 10 to 20 years.
‘The directorate has initiated a procurement strategy aimed at zero-emission vehicle solutions for the City’s bus fleet,’ Quintas added.
‘The first step was to identify the most suitable alternative or green-vehicle and fuel-technology options for the MyCiTi bus service, supported by the necessary infrastructure.’
He continued by stating that a feasibility study had been conducted, examining a range of alternative-energy vehicles. These encompassed compressed natural gas, hydrogen electric, battery electric, hybrid, and Euro VI buses.
As per the findings of the study, the City intends to implement a dual strategy, acquiring both Euro VI diesel buses and battery electric buses for the second phase of the MyCiTi bus service.
Quintas underscored the City’s commitment to ongoing exploration of alternative fuel options, ensuring the procurement of the most advanced technology available.
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Picture: @MyCiTiBus / X