The City of Cape Town is planning to make its public transport system greener by getting electric buses for the MyCiti service. By Thulani Gqirana, NewsAgency
Mayor Patricia de Lille said in a statement on Wednesday that a tender for the procurement of a fleet of 12-metre electric buses would be advertised by the first week of February.
“Cities across the world will soon reach a point where alternative fuel for public transport is no longer a choice but a prerequisite, and as such the City of Cape Town has decided to expand our current fleet of diesel buses with electric ones,” she said.
The city was also considering electric double-decker buses for longer trips, as they had more seats.
The electric buses should be able to travel at least 250km in traffic before their batteries needed recharging.
The successful bidder would have to provide the city with charging stations for the buses and train the bus and mechanical engineers.
“The operational cost of electric buses is significantly lower – not only in terms of fuel, but also in relation to maintenance as there are fewer parts to service,” De Lille said.
She said electric buses were easier to drive and the motors generated less heat than diesel engines. – News24
