Ten New Electric Buses Arrive In Bermuda
Ten new electric buses have arrived in Bermuda, with the Minister stating their arrival marks “another important milestone in our commitment to a modern, reliable and sustainable public transportation system.”
A Government spokesperson said, “The Department of Public Transportation [DPT] welcomed 10 new electric buses on August 18, as the vehicles were driven off the docks, marking another important step in Bermuda’s transition to a fully electric public transportation fleet.”
Minister of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport Owen Darrell said, “The arrival of these buses is another important milestone in our commitment to a modern, reliable and sustainable public transportation system. We remain focused on achieving 100 per cent fleet electrification by 2030, while ensuring that the travelling public benefits from improved service and reliability.”
The spokesperson said, “This is DPT’s third order of electric buses from Golden Dragon Bus Company. The first order of 30 buses was placed in 2022, followed by 40 buses in 2023 and the latest 20 buses in 2026. Of the latest 20-bus order, 10 buses arrived on August 18, with the remaining 10 expected to arrive next week. Once all 20 buses have arrived, the electric fleet will total 90 buses.
“The final 20 buses will be ordered later this year and are expected to enter service in early 2027, completing the electrification project with a total fleet of 110 buses.
“Once the final buses are commissioned, DPT will retire older diesel buses that have reached the end of their service life. The additional buses will help improve service reliability and capacity for the public while reducing operating costs and supporting the Government’s goal of a cleaner, fully electrified bus fleet.”
Will these buses work when they get wet?
why do you all consistently ask stupid questions
With the awful state of driving, I think he meant when they go over the coast road wall
Ten new buses very nice. How about ONE Warwick/Paget ferry please.
Do these buses need to recharge for 16 hours after an 8 hour shift like the first lot?
Another waste of money! Maybe the traffic tickets the machine is dishing out will help pay for those buses.
Still waiting for an honest answer for the true cost of these buses from Government.
Like the cubicle homes there is the PR cheap price given to the press. The actual price by the time all related costs are added is many times over the first price given.
Last price pried out of Government for a bus was $130,000. Yeah, suuure it is. Try pricing off the shelf small city diesel buses and compare. Be sure to separate the price of the bus from the cost of the bus from the battery system in an E bus and see how expensive they are. Now add all of the infrastructure that an E bus needs. Charging stations and providing power to those stations does not come cheap.
These buses are supposed to require far less maintenance. Has the size of the maintenance dept at the bus depot been drastically reduced? Not a chance.
You will never get an honest answer. Nothing about the costs to run the MAN diesel buses, which work perfectly all over the world and have been driven hundreds of thousands of miles, but failed to perform as well in Bermuda. Why were so many buses poorly maintained? Was the negligence deliberate? What were the government mechanics doing all day? Out fishing? Was an RFP sent to MAN for smaller diesel & e-buses?
What happened to our fleet of MAN buses?
Oh, that costly electric charging infrastructure was likely part of laying the charging foundation for the 13 EVs purchased for Ministers. Does any Minister charge their free car at home? (sarcasm)
I wonder how many “gifts” members of the fact-finding Bermuda Government acquisition team received from China. Lots of frequent flyer miles flying First Class, for sure.
BTW, after multiple attempts, I gave up on asking Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service about their ability to handle an EV fire; e-cars and our e-buses. Training, equipment, etc. Crickets.
Did some digging, but I already knew the answer. Our Government supports Communism.
Copilot
Golden Dragon Bus Company is part of King Long Motor Group and receives significant support from Chinese government agencies and national strategies, especially in its overseas expansion.
King Long Motor Group is significantly influenced by the Chinese government because its controlling shareholder, Fujian Motor Industry Group (FJMG), is a wholly state‑owned enterprise under the State‑owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of Fujian Province.
Repeat: “Fujian Motor Industry Group (FJMG), is a wholly state‑owned enterprise under the State‑owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of Fujian Province.”
FJMG is a wholly state-owned enterprise supervised by the Fujian Provincial SASAC.
It holds a major stake in King Long Motor Group — reported as 32.25% in 2026 filings and 34.22% in 2024–2025 analyses.
Because FJMG is state-owned, this stake represents direct government ownership.
So the profit element of our bus purchases goes to directly support the Government of China. Good to know. Thank you.