Bogota, Colombia. BYD recently announced that it is delivering 470 electric buses to the city. The full delivery will be completed within the first quarter of 2021, and once they’re active, they’ll serve 40 routes. A total of over 300,000 people will be served by the vehicles, saving 12,500 tons of carbon dioxide and 2.5 tons of dust particles from being emitted every year.
“Today is a historic day that we can record in the history of Bogota,” said Claudia Nayibe López Hernández, the Mayor of Bogota. “This is thanks to the joint efforts of many talented Colombians. We want to buy more electric buses, preferably, that allow us to remove the old diesel and gasoline fleet, and renew it with clean, electric buses, providing more and better services for citizens.”
The buses, made at plants in Nanjing and Hangzhou, will be delivered through the port of Buenaventura in Bogota. Each bus comes equipped with a driver safety cabin, TV, WiFi, security cameras, intelligent transport system, mobile phone charging USB interfaces, an access platform for people with disabilities, and other people-centric features, so they should make the riding experience much better for Colombians.
It’s also far from BYD’s first rodeo in South America. Other major markets include Chile, other parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Argentina. Globally, BYD electric buses are hard at work in 300 cities, operating in more than 50 countries and regions. BYD has been in the Colombian market since 2012. BYD built the first electric taxis in the country in 2013, and also built 64 electric buses for Medellin in 2018.
“It feels really great that our dream come true,” said Ricardo Sierra, President of Colombia’s bus procurement company Celsia. “TRANSMILENIO S.A and Bogota City are leaders in electric buses, and they are setting an example for many cities seeking to develop zero-emission bus systems. I congratulate the citizens of Bogota, who will soon experience the unique charm of eco-friendly buses.” |
