Mexico City begins operations on all electric BRT route
The government of Mexico City, following four years of collaboration and planning with various partners, celebrated the start of service on Line 3 of its Metrobús system. The 20.4-kilometer (12.7-mile) bus rapid transit (BRT) route becomes the first in Latin America to operate using 100 percent electric articulated buses.
The 18-meter (59-foot) buses can accommodate 10 passengers and can operate up to 330 kilometers (205.1 miles) on a single change. The vehicles take 3.5 hours to recharge, which will take place overnight to prepare the vehicles for operation the next day. Mexico City’s Jupiter Protection Yard has a total of 32 chargers ready to keep the buses charged and in operation.
Line 3 opened in 2011, and it is one of seven Metrobús lines that span nearly 87 miles. Nine years after its opening, plans began to develop that would put Metrobús on a path to transition to a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035.
The first electric articulated bus, as well as a charger, arrived at Metrobús in September 2020. Nine articulated buses and six additional chargers were received and tested a year later, with results determining Line 3 would be transformed into an electric BRT corridor. Movilidad Integral de Vanguardia (MIVSA), the operator of the line, was provided financing to acquire 50 of the electric articulated vehicles by Banco Santander México in late summer 2022.
In addition to MIVSA, the government of Mexico City collaborated with several entities leading up to the launch of and electric Line 3, including CFE, Metrobús, VEMO, ENEL, financial institutions such as IDB, World Bank, Nafin, Santander, KFW, ENEL and VEMO, as well as experts from UNAM, the ZEBRA initiative, UITP, SUSTENTAR, CFE, SEMARNAT and the Mexico Ministry of Economy.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
