The country’s first-ever hybrid bus service will be piloted in Makati City, according to Green Frog Transport Corp., the company that bagged the franchise for the transport line last week.
Green Frog said the buses will ply the route from Buendia (Tramo/LRT Taft) to Kalayaan (C5), which are considered among the busiest in the city’s central business district, cutting through other major roads
like South Superhighway; Chino Roces, Ayala and Makati Avenues; Paseo de Roxas and Edsa.
Green Frog said the buses are parallel electric hybrids or the type simultaneously powered by an electric motor and a Euro 3 diesel motor.
Their hybrid system is made in the United States by one of the largest parts suppliers in the world, the brakes are German-made while the lithium ion batteries are from Japan, the company said.
The low-emission buses will use tap payment cards and are also fitted with closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) to monitor activity in vehicle from six viewpoints.
High-powered air conditioners will maintain the temperature at a comfortable 22 degrees Centigrade, while the vehicles’ movements will be monitored through a global positioning system.
There will be “color-coded seats” for the elderly, pregnant women and people with disabilities; space for luggage and shopping bags; and low floors for easy entry and exit.
The route will have 17 bus stops in each direction. The service will start with two buses but 13 units will be added within six months, Green Frog added.
There are also plans to open two more hybrid bus routes in Makati within the next 12 months.
“We are also working at securing approvals to operate hybrid buses in the neighboring cities of Mandaluyong and Pasay,” said Green Frog Transport managing director Philip Apostol.
“It is our goal to provide Filipinos with environmentally friendly, comfortable, secure and reliable mass transportation concomitantly decreasing pollution levels and making our cities sustainable,” Apostol added. Riza T. Olchondra