MANILA, Philippines--It?s clean, quiet and it's free.

On Tuesday, 10 new jeepneys will serve commuters on the Legaspi and Salcedo Village routes. But they are a tad different from the jeepneys that Makati commuters have gotten used to over the years. They do not emit smoke, they hardly make a sound and?this is probably the best part?each ride will cost the commuter absolutely nothing.

Dubbed the eJeepney Makati Green Route, the Makati City government, in cooperation with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) and the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines, will offer free rides to commuters on the Legaspi and Salcedo routes.

According to Rommel Juan, vice president of Philippine Utility Vehicles Inc. (PhUV), manufacturer of the eJeepney, both routes will start and end at the Landmark Department Store area along Makati Avenue, with the 10 jeepneys stopping for 10 seconds on each of the 15 stops on each loop.

The 10 jeepneys will be split evenly between the two routes.

Also noise-free

Juan says the project will not only help alleviate the daily transport expenses of Makati commuters, but also, eJeepneys have lower air emissions and are less noisy.

Citing various studies, PhUV says each liter of diesel displaced by an alternative fuel source?electricity, for example?reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 3,140 g and nitrous oxide emissions by 16 g.

At excessive levels, these greenhouse gases contribute to the acceleration of global warming and climate change.

Electric jeepneys are also almost noise-free, which means they will not only help reduce the amount of harmful gases released into the atmosphere, but will also help curb noise pollution in the city.

10 seconds per stop

The addition of 10 more jeepneys to Makati?s busy streets is not expected to contribute much to traffic jams, as each jeepney has a designated ?dwell time? or loading and unloading time of only 10 seconds for each of the 15 stops.

Each of the 10 jeepneys can run 65 kilometers after a full charge, Juan relates, enough to cover each of the two routes several times in a day.

The eJeepneys can seat 14 passengers?12 at the rear and two in front?including the driver.

Hoping to be emulated

Fares on the eJeepneys are free for an indefinite period, he says, and the city government of Makati will provide the drivers through the Makati Parking Authority.

Right now, Juan says the program is unique to Makati City, but this should not stop other cities from implementing their own eJeepney scheme.

?We hope that with Makati leading the way, other cities will follow,? he says.

The eJeepney program is just one part of the three-pronged Climate-Friendly Cities Program of the ICSC, a nongovernmental organization.

Coming soon: Biodigester

Other components of the program include the setup of a biodigester to be fed with biodegradable waste to generate methane for electricity and the establishment of a charging station depot.

A biodigester converts organic wastes into a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer and biogas, a renewable source of electrical and heat energy.

The originally designed and locally made eJeepney sells for P625,000 a unit. It is the first electric vehicle issued a license plate by the Land Transportation Office.

Supporting the eJeepney initiative in Makati are Binalot Fiesta Foods, Makati Parking Authority, Makati Commercial Estate Association, Philippine Bio Sciences Co. Inc., and the National Center for Transportation Studies.