Buses to run on LPG soon

MANILA, Philippines – After stoves and taxicabs, buses in Metro Manila will soon be fueled with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced yesterday that LPG-fueled passenger buses would soon ply major routes in the nation’s premier region as part of the government’s campaign against air pollution.

A prototype of the initial four units of the buses was brought to the main office of the agency in Diliman, Quezon City yesterday and shown to Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.

Atienza lauded the proponents of the project, and said, “The use of LPG in motorized vehicles will improve the quality of air in Metro Manila, whose dramatic improvement we expect to see in the next two years.”

Philippine LPG Bus and Taxi Co. Inc. chairman Alexis Cowel said four units of LPG buses, which they have initially purchased from King Long Philippine Int’l. Bus Inc., the LPG bus distributor, will be test run plying the route Fairview-C5.

However, the exact date for the test run of the LPG-fueled buses, which were assembled in Xiamen, China, is yet to be announced.

“The buses are city bus type model having Yu Chai engine and equipped with 240-liter LPG,” Cowel said.

According to Cowel, if the LPG-fueled buses are proven effective, a total of 200 units will be fielded in Metro Manila, San Pedro, Biñan and Sta. Rosa, all in Laguna.

Atienza said all local government units (LGUs) should help the DENR enforce anti-pollution and other environmental laws to be able to effectively and significantly address the problem on air quality.

He said air pollution in Metro Manila can be reduced by 40-50 percent if public transport vehicles would shift from the use of diesel and gasoline to LPG.

“If we don’t improve the quality of air, respiratory diseases and global warming will come about. That’s why the DENR is not only implementing reforestation projects but also programs to clean our lakes, bays and other bodies of water in order to improve the quality of air and prevent global warming,” Atienza said.

In August last year, the Philippine LPG Bus and Taxi Co., Inc. announced their plan to import LPG-fueled buses from China.

The project, estimated to cost about P500 million, which the company has secured through bank loans, is said to be “in support of the government’s initiative to improve living conditions by reducing pollution.”

The project is being undertaken jointly by the Office of the President (OP), DENR, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Department of Energy (DOE), Board of Investment (BOI), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).