HCMC – The HCMC Department of Transport has proposed the municipal government use electric buses on the first bus rapid transit (BRT) line instead of buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) as earlier planned.
Electric buses will suit a plan recently approved by the Government on green energy transition and reduction of carbon dioxide and methane emissions in the local transport industry, according to the municipal department.
Besides, the Ministry of Transport is planning to use electric buses as main means of public transport in the 2025-2030 period, the local media reported.
Electric buses are eco-friendly, cause no noise and pose no fire and explosion risks, while the operation and maintenance costs of electric buses are lower than those of CNG-powered buses, said the municipal department.
The use of electric buses for the BRT line is appropriate to the city’s green traffic development plan, the municipal department said, adding that using electric buses for the first BRT line will mark a key milestone for the modern and sustainable development of the city’s public transport system.
To make it easy to execute the project and select eligible contractors, the HCMC department proposed the municipal government ask the Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of HCMC, the investor of the BRT line project, to work with consulting units and local bus makers to design electric buses that suit the line.
The 26-kilometer-long BRT line is set to stretch from the An Lac Roundabout in Binh Tan District to the Rach Chiec Bridge in Thu Duc City, running along Vo Van Kiet and Mai Chi Tho boulevards. The first BRT line will be opened to traffic in 2024.
The project will require US$143 million in total investment, including US$121.2 million sourced from an official development assistance loan from the World Bank.
