By Charmaine Ndlela
South Africa’s first electric minibus taxi, known as the eKamva, is set to begin operating in October 2026 in Cape Town’s Century City.
The 15-seater vehicle can travel more than 200km on a single charge and takes approximately 75 minutes to fully recharge using a fast charger. It can also be charged overnight over a 10-hour period.
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The eKamva was first unveiled at the Smarter Mobility Africa Summit in 2024 as part of efforts to reduce emissions and fuel consumption in the country’s taxi industry, which contributes significantly to carbon dioxide output.
Developed by a consortium led by GoMetro, a transport technology platform, the project forms part of an initiative to introduce electric mobility solutions tailored to South African conditions.
GoMetro CEO and founder Justin Coetzee described the project as a transformative shift for the public transport sector.
“This is a new approach to electrifying the smaller-vehicle public transport industry. We believe it will spark an entirely new economic sector and is socio-economically very important for the automotive sector,” he said.
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Coetzee added that while the upfront cost of electric vehicles may be high, operators stand to benefit from long-term savings.
Electric minibus taxis are expected to reduce running costs by between 40% and 70%, depending on fuel prices, route distances and the use of solar or home-based charging solutions.
In addition to cost savings, the vehicles offer significant environmental benefits, with each taxi expected to prevent roughly 13.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The eKamva forms part of a wider electric vehicle ecosystem, including charging infrastructure and a new EV business model known as flx EV, aimed at supporting taxi operators during the transition.
The pilot project will test the performance and feasibility of the vehicles before a wider rollout across the country.