July 16, 2025. Starting January 1, 2027, all new buses incorporated into the public transportation system of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) must run on compressed natural gas (CNG) or electricity. Vehicles that operate on these alternative fuels will receive increased subsidies to encourage their adoption. Furthermore, conventional diesel units will be able to continue operating until they reach their maximum service life.
This initiative is aligned with the Buenos Aires Sustainable Mobility Plan and the 2050 Climate Action Plan, which mandates “emissions reduction through the energy transition of transportation and distributed generation, rational and more efficient use of energy, the promotion of the circular economy, and smart waste management,” the City Government stated.
The transition will require new infrastructure, including high-power charging stations for electric buses and captive filling stations with specific compression and storage systems for CNG vehicles.
The decision is based on positive experiences from pilot tests, such as the Urban Mobility on Electric Buses (MiniMUBE) program, which demonstrated high public acceptance, reduced noise, and zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“Although this innovative service does not yet have definitive results, in this first phase of implementation it has enjoyed positive public acceptance, transporting 65,000 passengers in the first month, with a positive service level evaluation of over 90%, reducing noise levels in the city center and the historic center, improving accessibility and connectivity with the rest of the network, and producing no greenhouse gas emissions,” the authorities also noted.
In addition, all new units will incorporate Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to improve road safety by addressing issues such as blind spots.
