MANILA, Philippines – To address soaring gasoline prices and the worsening pollution problem, the Pasig City government has introduced liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-powered tricycles.
On Monday, Mayor Vicente Eusebio distributed 10 tricycles running on LPG to leaders of the city’s different associations of tricycle drivers.
At the same time, he also ordered the conversion of all of the city government’s vehicles that run on gasoline to LPG, in order to reduce fuel expenses.
“Apart from drastically lowering the level of harmful smoke emissions in the city, the conversion to LPG from gasoline would mean increased income for the city’s thousands of tricycle drivers,” Eusebio said. Pasig has more than 10,000 registered tricycles.
Eusebio said the initial 10 tricycles that were distributed on Monday were part of the pilot program. By the end of May, the city government hopes there will be at least one LPG-powered tricycle in each of the city’s registered tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODAs), which number more than 90.
Eusebio said the project is in line with the city’s efforts to reduce carbon monoxide and other pollutants in the air.
Based on studies conducted by the city government, the mayor said that tricycles are among the biggest sources of air pollution in Pasig, a trend that he wants to reverse “by introducing LPG as tricycle fuel.”
Under the Clean Air Act, the allowed level of hydrocarbon emissions is 7,800 parts per million (ppm) for two-stroke tricycle units.
Eusebio said that based on research conducted by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, the converted tricycles were shown to have reduced emissions of only 168 ppm when idle and 1,500 ppm in full throttle compared to around 6,500 ppm in full throttle before conversion.
The mayor said the city government would be willing to extend financial assistance to tricycle drivers who would convert their vehicles to LPG. The cost of conversion is about P16,000 per tricycle.
The Cenro, Eusebio added, is directly coordinating with the different TODAs by offering incentives to those in favor of conversion.
