Electric buses expand in Brazil beyond São Paulo
Latin America has reached 10,000 electric buses in operation, according to E-Bus Radar, a digital platform that monitors and maps electric mobility. The platform is affiliated with C40 Cities and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an independent organization founded in 2001. Combined, the fleets of 80 cities across 13 countries in the region prevent more than 10 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions a year, according to the organizations.
The data will be presented in a report by C40 and the ICCT at the Latin American Transport Fair (Lat.Bus), held August 11-13 in São Paulo. Santiago, Chile; São Paulo; and Bogotá, Colombia, lead the expansion of electric buses, with a combined fleet of more than 7,000 vehicles. In Brazil, São Paulo added 500 electric buses in June, bringing its total to 1,759 vehicles—1,570 battery-powered buses and 189 trolleybuses. The fleet prevents about 130,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions a year and saves 57 million liters of diesel.
“These 10,000 buses in Latin America are a milestone because they show that we are moving beyond pilot projects toward deployment on a larger scale. In Brazil, we are now beginning to see other cities joining this shift alongside São Paulo,” said Eduardo Siqueira, senior transportation manager for Mutirão Brasil, a program run by C40 and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM). Brazil had about 80 electric buses in 2017. By 2025, the fleet had grown to roughly 1,700, more than 80% of them in São Paulo.
São Paulo’s experience combines two factors: regulation and financing. The city’s Climate Change Act established emission-reduction targets for public transit, which have been incorporated into concession contracts since 2018. “That drove a shift in technology, but regulation alone would not have been enough. The financial issue also had to be addressed because an electric bus still costs more to purchase than a diesel vehicle,” Siqueira explained.
To lower that barrier, the city government adopted a partial subsidy model covering the difference between the price of an electric bus and that of its diesel equivalent. The city also structured an investment program of about R$6.5 billion, with the participation of Brazilian and multilateral institutions. São Paulo aims to have 2,200 electric buses by 2028.
Latin America’s leader, Santiago began electrifying its fleet in 2016 and now has more than 60% electric buses. One factor that accelerated the transition was separating vehicle ownership from system operations, allowing investors to finance bus purchases while specialized companies operate the service. “That attracted more bidders to tenders and expanded investment capacity,” Siqueira noted.
Technology is no longer an obstacle in Brazil. According to Siqueira, when C40 and the ICCT began their work in 2019, the country had only one manufacturer. It now has about 10, offering models of different sizes, including articulated buses. Vehicle availability is no longer the main bottleneck. The greater challenge, he said, is financing the initial investment and structuring projects, which must also account for power-grid capacity, charging equipment, and upgrades to depots and terminals. Other Brazilian cities are beginning to overcome these hurdles as they move forward with bus-fleet electrification.
Belo Horizonte plans to acquire about 100 electric buses with funding from the New Growth Acceleration Program; Greater Recife will receive 100 vehicles backed by R$319 million in federal funding; and Curitiba has included 250 electric buses in its new concession model. Salvador is also developing public charging infrastructure to support the electrification of vehicles operated by private companies. The expansion is expected to reduce the fleet’s current concentration in São Paulo.
The shift has been driven by the Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) Alliance, an international partnership created to accelerate the introduction of electric buses into public transit systems, and Mutirão Brasil, a program established after COP30 to accelerate municipal climate-action projects. Co-led by C40 Cities and GCoM, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and in partnership with the federal government, the program helps structure mobility initiatives and connect cities with financing sources. “Multilevel collaboration is one of the pillars of Mutirão Brasil.”
“Many cities can secure funding but struggle to structure their projects. When municipal, state, and federal governments work together, implementation moves faster,” Siqueira said.
Translation: Todd Harkin
