GOLDEN ARROW BUS SERVICES: Sparking a Revolution in Public Transport
The future is now for Golden Arrow Bus Services as it plans an overhaul of its fleet to include electric buses. The idea is to introduce many new units by the end of 2026 and initiate a charging infrastructure that pulls in renewable energy from multiple sources, bolstering environmental credentials.
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In January, one of South Africa’s most famous exports famously said that the country is not ready for electric cars. Elon Musk highlighted multiple factors around the SA industry that made Tesla unwilling to launch here just yet. His main gripe was import duties and affordability, but many point to Eskom woes and loadshedding as a material factor.
However, while Tesla waits, others are moving. There is a need to decarbonise and transport is a key industry sector on this journey. Currently, South Africa’s 12 million cars continue with internal combustion engine power. The transition to EV has been slower here compared to Europe and China. Quality of roads, availability of power, lack of local manufacture, and prohibitive cost have all factored into an insignificant rollout. But for the wider transportation sector, progress is underway.
In the mining industry, electric (and hydrogen) powered heavy trucks have been utilised; on the rails, electric trains are in use; and in public transport, electric makes a lot of sense.
“Around 31% of our total costs relate to fuel,” says Francois Meyer, CEO of Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS), the Cape Town provider of commuter and community transportation services.
By changing the fleet to electric buses, the company expects to improve efficiency, cost, reliability, and environmental credentials. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fuel prices have been in a constant state of flux globally. No markets have been safe, and even traditionally strong supply chains have been disrupted. South Africa has been no exception and rising diesel prices encouraged GABS to accelerate its move to electric.
In 2023, the company received its first electric bus from MAN Truck & Bus, the German manufacturer of which GABS requested a model suitable for the South African market more than a year ago. Currently, the Lion’s Explorer E electric bus is being tested on routes around Cape Town, but Meyer and team are extremely confident.
“There is not a route that the buses can’t complete or hill they can’t climb,” he said.
POWERFUL INNOVATION
GABS has a history of investing to stay at the industry’s cutting edge. In Cape Town, few others can match the ambition of the company when it comes to innovation and technology. According to Meyer, the company has coughed up over R3 billion in the last 25 years to bring more than 1000 new buses to the fleet.
The new Lion’s Explorer E electric bus has already been tested over more than 100,000 km in South Africa, and its 66-seat capacity is perfect for the local market where journeys between stops are further than other markets in Europe. Equally in urban environments, the bus is much more energy efficient on a stop-start programme.
Adaptation for the local market was vital for GABS, and MAN was also keen to learn more about how it could modify products to bring its innovation to regions with different requirements. “We’re relying fully on electric vehicles in the European city bus segment with the Lion’s City E – and we’re doing the same around the world with the Lion’s Chassis E. Our responsibility towards sustainable mobility doesn’t stop at the borders of Europe,” said MAN Truck & Bus CEO, Alexander Vlaskamp.
MD of MAN Truck & Bus South Africa, Jan Aichinger, added: “Some of the roads here are just sand tracks, and after heavy rain there can be huge puddles. That’s why the buses must be capable on all terrains and must never ground out on the rough roads.”
High floors, step access, four 80 kWh battery packs located between the axles underside, 3+2 seating arrangement ensuring seats for all on longer journeys, and fully equipped with all of the modern applications to keep travellers comfortable make the Lion’s City E perfect for the South African market.
“It was developed specially for use here,” said Head of Bus at MAN Truck & Bus, Barbaros Oktay. “The new model was also entirely built in South Africa. That meant that we could guarantee that the e-bus would perfectly meet the needs of local public transport companies and yet simultaneously integrate into existing processes as well as possible. If this is a success, electromobility in South Africa will really gather speed – we’re convinced of that.”
Aichinger and GABS are happy with the progress so far. Testing has been successful and capacity of 300-350km per day has been achieved, charging the batteries through the night.
“There have been no noteworthy issues so far – just one pleasant surprise: the Lion’s Explorer E uses less energy than we had expected,” said Aichinger. “Diesel is significantly more expensive than electricity here. That means that the switch to eBuses will pay off within ten years.”
Meyer agreed adding the decision to switch to electric was primarily a commercial decision.
COMMERCIAL CHOICE
Another positive for the transition is that electric buses require less engine maintenance compared to traditional fossil fuelled ancestors, meaning cost savings through labour hours. GABS has trained artisans already, capable of maintaining the new e-buses, and the company will continue to deliver new skills, alongside manufacturers, for itself and the wider industry as the rollout continues.
“We’re doing all we can to ensure that the new eBus is as well-received in South Africa as our Lion’s City E is in Europe, with more than 1,000 units produced already,” said Oktay.
At the same time, GABS has been testing the BYD K9 bus from China. This model initially had a 37-seat capacity but was expanded by the manufacturer to meet the local needs of GABS and now boasts 65 seats and strong performance statistics.
Thankfully, GABS is not only investing in electric buses at the front, operational end of the business. Behind the scenes, at its depot in Cape Town, a new solar PV installation covers the rooftop. Car parking spaces have also been replaced with solar car ports, and the company has plans to expand this rollout dramatically, eventually building out all of its 22 hectares with renewable generating capacity that can feed into its e-bus infrastructure. Currently, the business generates just over 2MW at peak capacity. There are also plans to organise wheeling arrangements with other renewable energy generators, bringing the GABS carbon footprint down dramatically over the next decades.
VERTICAL SOLUTION
Company Engineer, Gideon Neethling told Africa Sideways: “We will cover as much as we can with solar and we will look to partner with people with wheeling agreements for wind and solar. We travel the same 1.3 million km every single week of the year and this is the new way to go. It’s exciting, it’s new, it’s the right thing to do, and it has financial benefits.
“We are pushing ahead. By the end of 2025, we need 60 buses on the road in Cape Town. By the end of 2026, we need 120. Then it is big decision time and we look at how we go forward. If I had to bet on it, I would expect that there will be many electric buses in GABS in the next five years.”
Lower emissions, lower cost, quieter, more comfortable, and with opportunities for skills development, the switch to electric – globally and locally – is underway and will not stop. Those that embrace are those that thrive. When Tesla does arrive, a local solutions provider will need to be sought to ensure a comprehensive offering. Thankfully, the buses are ahead of the game and, in some cases, creating the road forward.
For GABS, the mission and vision has always been around people. These investments are just that – endeavours to further enrich the lives of the community it serves, both in terms of quality and environmental consciousness.
“We operate safe, reliable passenger transport services designed to meet the needs of our customers and by applying sound business principles to create a secure future for the company and its people.”