CNG-powered buses to soon ply on Dubai roads

The Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA) Public Transport Agency will soon start a trial operation of a bus powered by compressed natural gas on an internal route in Dubai.
The trial operation will continue for 12 months during which time the bus will start operating on a public bus route. It will be operating over 300km without requiring gas refueling, according to Abdullah Al Maazami, director of maintenance and service cum head of trials governance team at RTA Public Transport Agency. "Specialist engineers of the Public Transport Agency will monitor the operational performance and assess the efficiency of the bus under various operational conditions," he said.
The experiment is aligned with the vision of a 'Green Economy for a Sustainable Development' set out by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as part of the UAE Vision 2021.
"This experiment is also in line with the RTA's strategy of broadening and improving sustainable transit means, which have minimal impacts on the environment and public health," said Al Maazami.
A MoU was signed between RTA's Public Transport Agency and United Motors and Heavy Equipment Company. Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency the MoU for RTA and Khalifa Saif Darwish, CEO of the United Motors, the approved dealer of MAN trucks, owner of the bus, and supplier of CNG-powered buses, signed the contract.
"RTA uses best-in-class fuel type in the world with minimal sulfur content, and sets out the highest international stipulations for emissions rates in its buses," he added.
From an engineering perspective, CNG-powered engines are more robust and durable compared with other engines powered by fossil fuel such as diesel and petrol.
"Natural gas reduces the need for maintenance due to its clean combustion. It is also lighter than air, which means it will be immediately driven upwards in case of a leakage or accident. Therefore, it won't cause burning or explosion in the vehicle, besides reducing the engine noise by as much as 30 per cent compared with other traditional engines," added Al Maazami.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com