BYD has exclusively won cumulative orders to supply 1,002 battery-electric buses to the capital of Colombia, Bogotá. (Earlier post.) This tender was open to all bus technologies. This is the largest order for pure-electric buses outside of China to date, which sets a new record in sales volume for the overseas pure-electric bus industry.

Bogotá City Public Transport Authority (TRANSMILENIO S.A.) launched a public commercial tender covering diesel, CNG and electric technologies for 1,295 buses in August. Three of BYD’s global strategic partners finally adopted BYD’s integrated electric bus solutions for their bids and successfully won the tender, totalling 1,002 electric buses. BYD will partner with local bus manufacturers Superpolo and BUSSCAR respectively on the bus body parts.

This batch of buses is scheduled to be delivered during 2021 and into the first half of 2022, and will be put into operation on 34 bus routes across five regions of the capital, providing residents along the routes with quiet, safe and emissions-free travel services.

So far, BYD has won 1,472 orders for pure electric buses in the Colombian capital. According to TRANSMILENIO S.A., these buses will reduce 83,433 tons of carbon dioxide and 9.63 tons of particle emissions per year compared to diesel buses meeting fifth-generation European emission standards over the 15-year concession period.

In addition to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital city, BYD buses operate in Medellin, Cali and elsewhere. At present, BYD has accumulated 1,550 orders for pure electric buses in Colombia, leading the push for bus electrification in Colombia and Latin America.

Since BYD entered the Colombian market in 2012 it has made several breakthroughs, including establishing Latin America’s first pure electric taxi fleet in Bogotá in 2013, and now winning this 1,002-unit pure-electric bus order. BYD has a market share of more than 96.5% in the Colombian electric bus market, and 99% in Bogotá, the capital.