GABS procures 120 BYD electric buses for Cape Town

The B12 buses ordered are expected to have similar specifications to the majority of the Golden Arrow fleet. Technical data or even an order value are not mentioned.

“After four years of intensive testing, Golden Arrow Bus Services has taken a major step towards achieving its fleet electrification and renewable energy aims by confirming its first bulk order of 120 BYD buses,” the public transport company announced. According to GABS, engineer Gideon Neethling and his team have “been hard at work to ensure that Golden Arrow is able to optimally implement large-scale fleet electrification.”

In 2020, Golden Arrow entered into a partnership with BYD and uYilo to test two electric buses for a period of twelve months. One year later, two were officially put into operation. Last year, a fourth electric bus was added for testing. The road tests were also completed after around 200,000 kilometres. In the summer of 2023, it was then announced that Golden Arrow Bus Services in the South African metropolis of Cape Town was planning to gradually convert its fleet of 1,100 diesel buses to electric buses. From 2024, 60 diesel buses are to be replaced by electric buses every year. With 120 electric buses by the end of 2025, the public transport operator would achieve the targets for the first two years.

Update 18 March 2025

The first 20 BYD buses have arrived in Cape Town, with the remaining 100 units to be delivered by the end of the year. According to local media reports, public transport operator Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) could even extend its electric fleet. However, a final decision will not be made until the second half of 2026. By then, the 120 first units will have accumulated three million kilometres of data, GABS engineer Gideon Neethling told Engineering News.

On top of taking delivery of the first 20 electric buses, GABS also installed 30 chargers with two charging points each. In the second half this year, the number of chargers (and charging points) will be doubled.

The 120 BYD B12 electric buses will account for about 10% of Golden Arrow’s total fleet, servicing various routes across Cape Town.

“In the public transport sector, the shift to electric vehicles is critical to achieving sustainable mobility for commuters and creating economic opportunities and job creation in various sectors of the province,” Western Cape MEC for Mobility, Isaac Sileku, told IOL News. “These vehicles also create opportunities for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises in the electric mobility sector and take us closer to achieving our long-term vision to be a net-zero emissions, climate-resilient, and job-creating province.”

gabs.co.za (PDF), engineeringnews.co.za, iol.co.za (both update)