By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) - Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday launched 190 gas-powered buses for the Maputo metropolitan area, presenting the initiative as part of a broader strategy to reduce transport costs, expand urban mobility and lessen the country’s dependence on imported fuel amid growing global energy instability.
Speaking during the ceremony held at the Independence Stadium in Maputo province, Chapo said the fleet of buses forms part of a national transition toward gas-powered mobility, using Mozambique’s own natural resources to cushion citizens from rising living costs linked to international fuel shocks.
“These buses run on natural gas to minimize costs. Mozambique is beginning, in a more concrete way, to transform its own natural resources into solutions to reduce the cost of living for its people,” Chapo said.
The new fleet includes 150 buses for municipalities in the greater Maputo area — including Maputo city, Matola, Marracuene, Boane, Namaacha and Matola Rio — while 40 buses are reserved for a newly launched public school transport system aimed at students.
The government estimates the buses could directly benefit around 2.8 million passengers per month.
The rollout comes as Mozambique faces mounting pressure from rising fuel prices and transport costs, which the authorities attribute to geopolitical tensions and instability in the Middle East, particularly the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Chapo argued that Mozambique can no longer remain vulnerable to global fuel crises while simultaneously exporting natural gas abroad.
“We have been exporting gas to South Africa for more than 20 years. Now that gas must also serve Mozambicans,” he said, announcing that the government will soon launch a National Vehicle Gas Expansion Programme in Inhambane province, where the Temane gas fields are located.
The president said the government intends to expand gas-powered transport beyond Maputo to the southern provinces of Gaza and Inhambane before eventually extending the system nationwide.
The authorities also signaled plans to promote hybrid and electric vehicles while developing refining and fuel storage infrastructure in Maputo, Beira and Quelimane in an effort to strengthen national energy security.
Transport and Logistics Minister João Matlombe described the transport sector as “a factor of hope, development and social inclusion,” saying the government was accelerating investment in gas refueling infrastructure and conversion centers as part of a wider mobility modernization strategy.
The ceremony also marked the launch of the pilot student transport system, branded “Baza,” which will use electronic cards and a mobile application allowing students to track buses in real time.
Under the initiative, students in Maputo will pay 12 meticais per trip — half the average urban fare currently charged in the capital, of 24 meticais.
“No child should drop out of school because of lack of transport,” Chapo said, framing the project as an investment in human capital and educational access.
The president further pledged to continue expanding the public fleet of buses to reduce overcrowding and eliminate the widespread practice of route shortening by private operators, which often forces passengers to pay multiple fares for a single journey.
“We want people to leave home looking decent and arrive at work or school in the same condition,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd while criticizing the undignified state of urban commuting in Mozambique.
The government says the buses represent the first phase of a wider public transport expansion programme launched earlier this year, following the delivery of another 100 buses to municipalities in northern and central Mozambique.
With the latest delivery, the authorities say a total of 300 buses have been introduced since the start of Chapo’s administration. (MT)
