The municipal People’s Committee organised ameeting on February 10 to announce the project, the first of its kind in Vietnam.
Kengo Ishida, Executive Director of the Asian Center forLow Carbon Society – the Environment Bureau of Kitakyushu City, said theelectric bus project is one of the 15 green development projects jointlyimplemented by Hai Phong and Kitakyushu cities.
The bus battery can be charged by both solarpower and electricity. It is able to run up to 160km and carry 50 passengers.
In 2017, Hai Phong will operate onesolar-powered bus with four trips a day on two main roads on Cat Ba Island. Thenumber of the piloted vehicles is set to increase to 10 next year and 30 in2020.
During the trial period, the service will befree.
Le Thanh Son, Vice Chairman of the municipalPeople’s Committee, said the city will create favourable conditions for relevantsides to implement the project as soon as possible. It will expand the use ofsolar-powered buses if they prove to be effective and suitable for localconditions.
Hai Phong is one of the first cities in Vietnamto target an energy-efficiency economy with a view to becoming a green,civilised and modern city in 2020.-VNA