The City of Johannesburg decided to manufacture some of these vehicles locally to generate more job opportunities for area residents. Besides, it has ensured that about 120 new staff members are employed to staff these stations, and during construction about 9,300 jobs were generated.
Moreover, Johannesburg’s Metrobus plans to acquire between 125 and 175 new buses that may run on biomethane, inspired by Rea Vaya’s example. The decision to use the renewable fuel follows from several studies showing the enormous potential for biogas production from city waste sources such as landfill sites, sewer plants and grass cuttings by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo.
“We are very excited to tell our passengers and the residents of Joburg that we will be able to replace more than one third of our ageing fleet with modern, low-floor and dual fuel green buses,” said Lawrence Maqekoane, managing director of Metrobus.