Photo by Mauricio Farias on Unsplash (illustrative)
Santiago, Chile, had its biggest year yet for clean public transport in 2025. According to figures reported on 31 December 2025, the city's public bus system, Red Movilidad, put 1,344 new electric buses into service during the year, bringing its electric fleet to 3,849 buses.
Key facts
The 1,344 electric buses added in 2025 were the most in any year since electric buses joined the system in 2017.
Electric buses made up 59% of the fleet at the end of 2025, served by 44 dedicated charging depots.
Shortly afterwards, the operator reported passing 4,000 electric buses, or 62% of its fleet.
The IEA reports that Chile bought nearly 2,000 of the more than 3,000 electric buses sold in Latin America in 2025.
Why it matters
Buses are the backbone of public transport in Santiago, so replacing diesel models brings cleaner air and quieter streets to whole neighborhoods. The system reports that electric buses have cut fine particle emissions by 75% and street noise by up to 64% on the main Alameda avenue.
Worth noting
The pollution and noise figures come from the transport system itself, and the rollout ran behind an earlier aim of 68% electric by the end of 2025. Buses produce only about 3.3% of Santiago's transport CO2 emissions; private cars and motorcycles account for about 90%.