May 19 Bus Cooperative boss Nguyen Van Trieu told reporters these vehicles would be deployed on two routes. These both link An Suong Bus Station to destinations in the Thu Duc District on the opposite side of town. An Suong is fairly close to Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
The 23 new buses were built by the Saigon Transportation Corporation and cost VND63 billion apiece. The CNG buses are the first of an expected 300 Ho Chi Minh is expected to buy over the next few years in an attempt to make city transport options greener and more attractive to commuters and tourists.
Bus company boss Van Trieu noted that natural gas powered buses had lower carbon footprints than either diesel or petrol ones and this had been scientifically proved. According to Tuoi Tre News, he finished off by saying operators who ran the new buses would not pay the normal registration fees as an enticement.
Ho Chi Minh City jumps on eco fuel bus bandwagon
News in Asia
Ho Chi Minh City has joined the growing list of Southeast Asian metropolises to introduce environmentally friendly buses. The south Vietnamese city has taken delivery of an initial order of 23 buses which run on compressed natural gas (CNG).