Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel
Aal inspected Saturday the first converted diesel-powered bus to run on natural
gas as part of the cooperation protocol signed between the
Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Military Production, the Ministry of
Mineral Resources, and Cairo’s Public Transport Authority under the supervision
of the Ministry of Local Development to convert 1962 diesel-powered buses to
run on natural gas as of 2021/2022.
Abdel Aal pointed out that
the protocol comes in line with President El-Sisi’s directives to implement the
national project for converting and replacing cars and vehicles to run on
natural gas. He added that the projects aim to make optimal use of Egypt’s
natural gas, maximizing its added value as well as rationalizing diesel consumption,
reducing air pollution, and decreasing harmful emissions.
Moreover, Abdel Aal said
that the authority would also upgrade the city’s public buses internally and externally
in line with the Decent Life presidential initiative to provide citizens with proper
means of public transport and preserve the aesthetic appearance of the capital.
For his part, the Head of
Cairo’s Public Transport Authority, Rizq Ali, said that the protocol includes
the training of technicians on periodical maintenance in accordance with the
instructions of the engine manufacturing company to ensure the efficiency of
the buses.
Rizq added that the project of converting public buses to run on
natural gas would save approximately 25 million pounds of the authority’s
budget annually, noting that the conversion process would be over 6 years.
Rizq, furthermore, said that the protocol comes in light of the
state’s interest in preserving the environment and reducing air pollution because,
by the end of the project, no buses would be running on diesel.
Source: Media
Department, Cairo Governorate