11 electric buses will soon serve selected routes in Mandaue City after the city government strikes a deal with a transport company, making the dream of having electric buses in the city’s streets a reality. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Electric vehicles will be plying in some of the streets of Mandaue City soon.
This is as the city government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Global Electric Transport (GET) Philippines Inc. on Wednesday, November 8.
READ: Podway may be the future of transportation in Danao City
MOA for electric buses
Under the MOA, the transport company will deploy at least 10 Community Optimized Managed Electric Transport (Comet) buses in Mandaue while the city will provide a charging station, parking areas, and bus stops.
GET will also provide the necessary maintenance and cleaning of the vehicles, and training for hired drivers among others.
GET Green Transport Inc. Board Andrew Lim (from left), Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, GET Global Philippines Managing Director Anthony Dy, and Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, pose for a picture after signing the memorandum of agreement. | Mary Rose Sagarino
Hyll Retuya, head of the legal and investigative division of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM), said that they were still finalizing the routes of the bus. However, based on the initial plan, the bus will travel from Mandaue City to Lapu-Lapu City and Liloan.
These will cater to senior citizens, persons with disability, city hall employees, and other sectoral groups for free. They will be given riding passes by the city government.
READ: LTO-7 deepens probe into Mandaue City ‘road race’
The Comet buses that have a capacity of 30 passengers are powered by electricity and not by gasoline as used by conventional vehicles. It is fully air-conditioned, has a CCTV camera, internet, and a mobile application.
Aside from the 10 buses that will be deployed, the city also plans to purchase one unit.
“One unit costs around P4 million,” said Retuya.
Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes (left) checks the inside of the electric bus. | Mary Rose Sagarino
Retuya said that the buses will probably ply the city’s roads in December because the agreement would still need to be ratified by the city council.
They also still need to install the charging station and inspect the parking spaces.
READ: Davao e-bus project gets $1-B ADB loan
Integrate public transport to public networks
The city hopes to integrate electric buses into its public transport networks to help minimize air pollution.
“We are toying the idea nga atoa gyud isulod ni’ng (that we are going to include the) electric buses sa (in) Mandaue….With the introduction of these buses, we are not only addressing our transport needs but also our environmental responsibilities, we are reducing our carbon footprint and contributing to a cleaner, greener future for Mandaue City,” said Mayor Jonas Cortes.
ALSO READ: Transport co-op, parent meet with LTO-7 to address ‘reckless driving’ allegations