Mexico City To Acquire Chinese Buses for RTP System

Mayor of Mexico City Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the city will acquire more units for the Passenger Transportation Network (RTP) system from a Chinese company. The acquisition is part of the mobility plan that the local government has been implementing since Sheinbaum took office. 

This weekend, Sheinbaum shared a video of one of the units that the city will acquire. In the video, workers of Yutong, the company that is developing the units, showed one of the buses driving at high speed. According to Sheinbaum, the units are to arrive Mexico in this year. 

The government of Mexico City acquired 171 units, of which 49 will arrive in October and the remaining 122 in November. The buses are 9.9m in length and come equipped with security cameras, radio communication systems, GPS and accessibility platforms. According to state authorities, these units will benefit 80 million people from the city’s hilly areas, which they can access easily due to their power. The Alvaro Obregon, Azcapotzalco, Cuajimalpa, Gustavo A Madero, Iztapalapa, Milpa alta, Tlahuac an Xochimilco municipalities are among the municipalities where the buses will operate.

On May 30, 2022, RTP’s directors announced that Yutong won the international tender for the purchase of the new units, which were considered the best in terms of price-quality consideration. RTP authorities reported that by choosing the company, it could save seven percent in the final price.

Daniel Arcos, Director of Management and Finance, RTP, highlighted that one of the commitments made by Sheinbaum was that the network would acquire 800 new units. This goal that is coming closer in sight: with the acquisition of the new units, the city will have gained a total of 467 new units in 2022. 

This is not the first time Yutong sells vehicles to Mexico City’s government. Between 2019 and 2022, the company won tenders worth US$161 million for 300 trolleybus units and 171 buses. The company also participates in the electrification project for the Metrobus’ Line 3, which will require an investment of US$38.7 million and will be the first electric mass public transportation line in the country. It is expected to be operational by March 2023.

Currently, RTP’s units are diesel-powered. Nonetheless, Mexico City’s government is joining forces with the private sector to electrify its units. MBN reported that Mexico-based company Megaflux is to build a 10.5m unit according to RTP specifications during 2H22 with the aim to deliver it around 1Q23.