Chinese-made electric buses are rapidly expanding across Southeast Asia as governments race to cut transport emissions and fully electrify public bus fleets by 2030.
Manufacturers including BYD, Yutong and King Long are gaining market share as cities move away from diesel buses, while China’s bus makers look overseas for growth amid slowing demand at home.
In Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, the shift is already visible. Transjakarta, the city’s main bus operator, introduced Chinese electric buses in 2022. It now runs 420 electric buses, almost 10% of its fleet, and plans to electrify all 10,000 buses by the end of the decade.
Veteran driver Muhammad Iqbal said the change has been striking. A decade ago, Chinese buses in Indonesia had a poor reputation for breakdowns and safety issues. Operators relied more on Japanese and European brands.
“That has changed,” Iqbal said. “It’s more comfortable to drive this electric bus. It uses automatic transmission, and we no longer queue for fuel every night.”
Chinese firms now dominate the global electric bus export market. Data cited by Nikkei Asia shows China exported about 9,000 electric buses worldwide in the first half of 2025, a 124% rise from a year earlier. Yutong and King Long led those exports.
Southeast Asia still makes up a small share of that total, but demand is rising fast as countries set climate targets and roll out electric vehicle policies.
In Indonesia, BYD has partnered with local firm VKTR Teknologi Mobilitas. The joint venture opened an assembly plant in Central Java in May. The facility can produce up to 3,000 vehicles a year and currently builds around 200.
The company plans to deliver 80 electric buses to Transjakarta by early 2026. About 40% of the components are locally sourced, qualifying the buses for Indonesian government incentives.
Other countries are moving quickly. Malaysia operates more than 140 electric buses and plans to deploy thousands over the next five years. Singapore has ordered hundreds of electric buses from Chinese suppliers and aims to electrify half its fleet by 2030. The Philippines and Indonesia have set similar goals.
Vietnam and Thailand remain exceptions. Vietnam’s electric bus market is dominated by local manufacturer VinFast. Thailand is focusing more on rail projects than bus electrification.
The rapid expansion has also raised concerns beyond climate goals. In November, Norway’s public transport operator warned that Chinese-made buses could be vulnerable to remote manipulation, triggering investigations in Europe.
Yutong denied the claims. Still, cybersecurity experts say the risks deserve attention.
Indonesian cybersecurity analyst Pratama Persadha warned that vehicle data could be misused if systems are not properly audited. He urged governments to require cybersecurity checks for imported electric vehicles.
“Whoever the company is, there will always be a cybersecurity risk,” said analyst Mark Manantan.
As Southeast Asia accelerates its push to decarbonize transport, governments now face a balancing act: cutting emissions while managing new risks linked to digital and connected vehicles.
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