300 new electric buses arrive for Santiago’s Red Movilidad
The electric buses are manufactured by Zhongtong and shipped from China. The newly delivered units will be deployed on routes US 16, 17 and 18, serving nearly 20 districts, including La Granja, San Miguel and San Joaquín. These areas, historically underserved in terms of clean transport infrastructure, are central to the Chilean government’s commitment to what Transport and Telecommunications Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz calls ‘territorial equity’. The Minister emphasised that “this is very good news for the system and our goal of levelling the playing field between different communes,” reaffirming the government’s pledge to make zero-emission mobility accessible to all sectors of the capital.
The Red Movilidad fleet currently includes 2,555 electric buses. With the upcoming additions, three out of every five buses operating in Greater Santiago will be electric. Each new bus is equipped with air conditioning, USB charging ports, Wi-Fi, and 360-degree blind spot sensors designed to reduce accident rates.
According to Paola Tapia Salas, Director of Metropolitan Public Transport, the move towards full electrification is already delivering results. “Currently, RED buses account for just 3.3% of transport-related emissions,” she said, adding that noise pollution along main corridors like Alameda and Santa Rosa has decreased by up to 45% since 2019.
The 300 buses arrived at DP World’s terminal in the Port of San Antonio after a 28-day journey from Shanghai, marking the start of phased arrivals scheduled throughout the year. The broader programme, stemming from a public tender concluded in November 2024, also introduces two new operators into the city’s transport landscape, namely Gran América and Consorcio Conecta. The updated concession, covering 30% of the network, is expected to benefit over 3.5 million people with a better travel experience and new employment opportunities.
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