São Paulo municipality finances 500 electric buses with BNDES funding to expand zero-emission public transport fleet

Type: Financing · Technology: Transport · Country: Brazil · Announced: 2026-06-22

The São Paulo municipal government secured R$ 6.5 billion in financing from the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) to acquire 500 new electric buses, expanding the city's zero-emission public transport fleet to 1,759 vehicles. The transaction includes 22 midi buses, 215 standard models, 159 13.2-meter padron buses, and 104 articulated buses measuring 21-23 meters, delivered in June 2026. The new fleet will eliminate approximately 20 million liters of diesel consumption annually and reduce CO₂ emissions by over 45,000 tons per year, while also cutting 110.6 tons of NOx and 0.9 tons of particulate matter. The financing supports São Paulo's decarbonization strategy for public transport, which prohibits the replacement of end-of-life vehicles with diesel buses, accelerating the adoption of low- and zero-emission technologies. BNDES highlighted the deal as a model for combining emissions reduction, technological innovation, and public service modernization at scale.

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