Santiago adds 176 new electric buses and a new route that connects the northern area with the Metro
- Starting this Saturday, 176 electric buses will replace blue diesel units in different districts of Santiago, improving the travel experience of thousands of people.
- Conchalí, Huechuraba, Independencia and Recoleta will receive a new route, the B41, in addition to extensions in services 227 and 205c in other communes.
Santiago, August 16, 2025.- A new step towards the modernization of public transport was taken by the Metropolitan Public Transport Directorate (DTPM) with the incorporation of 176 new electric buses to the RED Mobility system, which from this Saturday will replace the old diesel buses that until now operated in various districts of the capital.
The start-up of these units is accompanied by the start of operation of the new B41 service, which will benefit residents of Conchalí, Huechuraba, Independencia and Recoleta. In addition, the extension of routes 227 in Cerrillos, Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Lo Espejo, together with the extension of route 205c in Puente Alto, is added, expanding the coverage and connectivity of the network.
The B41 service, which will operate with Euro VI buses, will connect sectors such as Gonel and Barrio La Palma Sur in Conchalí with lines 2 and 3 of the Metro, and the Hospital sector, providing a faster and safer travel alternative for users in the northern area of the city. The service is operated by the company Conecta, a group that was awarded a tender in a consortium of Buses Hualpén with the company ADO of Mexico and the Spanish company Avanza.
These new units feature air conditioning, Wi-Fi, USB chargers and internal and external CCTV systems, significantly improving the standard of travel for users. It is estimated that more than 238 thousand weekly trips will benefit in 13 communes such as Conchalí, Independencia, Recoleta, Huechuraba, Cerrillos, Puente Alto, La Florida, Santiago, Ñuñoa, Lo Espejo, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, La Granja and San Joaquín.
Meanwhile, the director of Metropolitan Public Transport, Paola Tapia Salas, stressed that: “The transformation of the Red Movilidad system in the capital is consolidated with the beginning of the
operation of 300 new electric buses, with which we reach 45% of the Red Movilidad fleet with an electric standard and more than 70% with a Red Movilidad standard”. In this way, we continue to make progress in the incorporation of 1,800 electric buses in the next 6 months.
The mayor of Conchalí, René de la Vega, said that “this transformation makes it possible for us to be heard as a commune and provide connectivity to the North sector, connecting it through the B41 service, allowing us to reach Metro Line 2 and 3, next to the Hospital sector.” For his part, the mayor of Recoleta, Fares Jadue, valued “the possibility for women to enter the Red System, since this gender perspective also generates a friendlier vision of what driving traditionally is and generates better practices in passengers.”
Currently, the system has 2,845 electric buses (45% of the fleet) and with this incorporation progress is made towards the goal that by March 2025 68% of RED Movilidad buses will be electric, that is, an estimated total of 4,400 units in circulation.
