The city of São Paulo received 175 Mercedes-Benz electric buses to join its public transport fleet. However, the automaker has not yet received the payment for vehicles due to the lack of loading infrastructure in the garages, whose installation is the responsibility of the ENEL concessionaire, as reported by City Hall and Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil confirmed CNN which delivered the 175 EO500U electric buses between August 2024 and February 2025. The company clarified that because of the way the government pays for these buses, which they call a subsidiary, money is only released when the structure to carry vehicles is finalized. Therefore, they have not received all the payment yet.
To try to find a way out of this situation, Mercedes-Benz said it has suggested some changes to São Paulo City Hall in the electric bus payment system. The intention is to make the exchange for electric buses in the city happen faster.
In a statement, the City of São Paulo stated that “it expects the concessionaire Enel to assume its responsibilities and enable the necessary infrastructure so that the population can count as soon as possible with more clean energy buses inserted in the fleet.
The municipal administration stressed its commitment to reducing pollution, noting to ban new buses to diesel since 2022 and investment in clean alternatives, which has already raised the electric fleet to 527 units. However, the city recognizes that this number could be higher with the proper energy infrastructure in the garages.
In turn, Enel Distribuição São Paulo manifested itself, clarifying that the acquisition of buses is the responsibility of the operators. The concessionaire said it had made infrastructure available with a capacity of 32.3 MW since 2024.
Enel also differentiated responsibilities, stating that the company carries out the external works in the garages following regulatory criteria, while the internal works are the responsibility of the operators.
The distributor stated to maintain weekly meetings with public transport operators, with accompaniment to SPTrans, to solve questions and follow the signature of contracts and the progress of the works.
Enel concluded by stressing that the infrastructure installation time varies according to the complexity and size of each project, and that the formalization of contracts occurs after the presentation of the documentation and project necessary by the operators.
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This content was originally published in Mercedes delivers 175 buses to SP City Hall, but does not receive payment on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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