Making zero-emission buses the standard for Latin America and Africa
Public transport carries hundreds of millions of Latin American and African residents daily, but most city bus fleets still run on high-polluting diesel engines. These buses contribute significant emissions and worsen air quality, harming people’s health.
The Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA), co-led in partnership with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), is changing this. Since 2019, ZEBRA has created conditions for zero-emission buses to become standard across key Latin American cities by coordinating city procurement commitments, national-level policy, finance mechanisms, and manufacturer production capacity. In 2023, the partnership expanded to support bus electrification in Africa.
How ZEBRA works
The partnership operates through four interconnected strategies:
Intergovernmental engagement
ZEBRA partners currently work with key cities and national governments across Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa. They ensure municipal fleet decarbonisation targets of large cities are achieved and that the technical and financial viability of zero-emission buses is demonstrated. They support governments to design and implement nationwide finance mechanisms and policies for zero-emission buses. This enables smaller and medium-sized cities to scale their deployment. As more cities adopt these buses, they create the market demand that drives manufacturers and investors to act.
Manufacturer production scale-up
Through ZEBRA, several bus manufacturers have committed to increasing zero-emission bus production for both the Latin American and African markets. ZEBRA works directly with these manufacturers while demonstrating current market demand and a future pipeline of projects. This increases vehicle availability and addresses supply challenges that previously limited deployment.
Financial investment and mechanisms
ZEBRA connects cities with financial institutions to identify, establish, and refine mechanisms that make electric bus procurement economically viable, addressing upfront cost barriers and enabling cities to realise long-term operational savings.
Knowledge sharing
ZEBRA facilitates the exchange of best practices for bus electrification between C40 cities and other major cities in Latin America and Africa, leading the transition through a wide array of activities. These include knowledge exchange opportunities such as study tours, finance academies, business roundtables, and the dissemination of market-based evidence, including the E-BUS RADAR platform.
Benefits for Latin American and African cities
Zero-emission buses deliver multiple advantages:
Dramatic emissions reductions
Over their lifetime, electric buses reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared with diesel buses, taking into account battery manufacturing and replacement.
Improved air quality
Diesel buses emit particulate matter and local pollutants, whose prolonged exposure is associated with an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Zero-emission buses drastically improve urban air quality, protecting residents’ health.
Financial savings
The maintenance and operation costs of electric buses are three times lower than those of diesel buses, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership over their lifetime.
Accessible and high-quality urban mobility
Renewing the bus fleet with electric technology supports the improvement and modernisation of public transport. Electric buses enhance passengers’ perception of the service and increase interest in using public transport.
What cities receive
Cities participating in ZEBRA access:
Technical support for developing deployment strategies and innovative business models that make fleet-wide electrification feasible.
Knowledge-sharing opportunities through training, study tours, webinars, and regional events connecting Latin American and African cities leading the electric bus transition.
Best practice guidance on bus electrification from C40 cities and other major cities implementing similar transitions.
Connection to investors through established relationships with financial institutions investing in zero-emission bus projects.
Learn from ZEBRA cities on the C40 Knowledge Hub
Access case studies, business models, and investment guidance from cities supported by ZEBRA on the C40 Knowledge Hub. Resources cover financing mechanisms, deployment strategies, and technical details to support the transition to electric buses across Latin America and Africa.
Partnership structure
The Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) Partnership is co-led by C40 Cities and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).
Across different workstreams, the ZEBRA Partnership works closely with, and is supported by:
- Africa E-Mobility Alliance (AfEMA)
- Centro Movilidad Sostenible (CMS)
- Frente Nacional de Prefeitas e Prefeitos (FNP)
- Frost & Sullivan (F&S)
- Global Network for Popular Transport (GNPT)
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
- International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
- Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
- UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
- World Bank
- World Resources Institute (WRI)
Track electric bus deployment across Latin America and Africa
The E-BUS RADAR website provides monitoring and up-to-date information on all electric buses currently operating in Latin America and Africa.
Contact us
Contact the ZEBRA Partnership team at zebra@c40.org to explore collaboration opportunities or learn how your city can access technical support for electric bus deployment.
RELATED
Laneshift, an initiative from C40 and The Climate Pledge, is working to accelerate the transition to electric freight in Brazil, Mexico, and India.
Cities are urgently working to clean the air to protect communities from pollution that causes 6.7 million premature deaths globally each year.
