South Africa's intercity buses get their first new coaches since 2010
PRASA has added 17 long-distance coaches with lane assistance and stability systems, and plans 78 more by 2030.
Olanrewaju Adewole
Pretoria — The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has added 17 long-distance coaches to its City-to-City bus fleet, its first purchase of this kind since 2010, the government news agency SAnews reports.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy launched the fleet in Pretoria on Thursday, during October Transport Month.
The buses
- Lane assistance, following-distance monitoring and stability systems.
- Drivers will be monitored and trained, and a control centre will oversee incidents on the road.
- The service is meant to run on a ring-fenced basis and pay its own way.
What comes next
- 30 more coaches in 2027/28 and 48 in 2028/29, for a total of 95.
- The fleet renewal is due to be complete by 2030.
- Over time, the buses are meant to complement long-distance rail and give affordable, dependable travel between cities, towns and rural communities.
Ms Creecy said the purchase followed a difficult restructuring of the bus operation, in which management, unions, the PRASA board and the shareholder had all made sacrifices.
Source: SAnews, 15 October 2026.
