Cape Town to get electric buses for MyCiTi network

The City of Cape Town will take delivery of its first electric bus in August 2026, marking the start of a phased rollout of an electric fleet on its MyCiTi bus service.

A further 13 electric buses are expected to arrive between October and December, with a total of 30 low-floor units due to be delivered by June 2027, according to the City’s Urban Mobility Directorate.

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The buses will be deployed on MyCiTi routes in the metro south-east, including new routes forming part of Phase 2A.

Cape Town has recently started the new construction phase in its MyCiTi expansion, aimed at linking Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain with Wynberg and Claremont.

The work forms part of a broader plan to extend the service across the metro south-east, connecting communities from the southern suburbs through Lansdowne, Philippi, Crossroads, Gugulethu and Hanover Park.

The initial batch of electric buses comprises 12-metre Volvo BZRLE models with locally manufactured bus bodies in Johannesburg.

Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Rob Quintas says the timing of the rollout aligns with rising energy market uncertainty and broader geopolitical pressures.

Performance assessment and future rollout 

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, electric buses could lower maintenance and operating costs.

“Some countries operating e-buses have noted a reduction of up to 70% in operating costs, and we will be conducting research soon to determine what type of savings Cape Town can look forward to,” he says.

To this end, the City will partner with the University of Cape Town on a research programme, funded jointly by the metro and a grant from the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative.

The study will assess how electric buses perform within the MyCiTi system over a 12-month testing period.

The research will evaluate battery performance across different route profiles, charging times, and the impact of passenger numbers and local climate conditions.

It will also inform operational planning, including driver training, maintenance requirements and system integration.

Says Quintas: “‘The research will help us understand how the electric buses will perform in our local context, and what challenges we need to consider before we roll out the e-bus fleet in 2027.”

If implementation proceeds as scheduled, the first electric buses are expected to begin operations by 1 July 2027 on routes linking Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha, Wynberg and Claremont, and the Cape Town CBD.

Further expansion of the electric fleet will depend on funding allocations from the national government.