Kochi: The formation of the seven societies by private bus owners on the direction of the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) will see the city getting CNG buses by replacing the existing fleet of diesel-run vehicles in a phased manner. The KMRL has assured the private bus owners that it will facilitate funding through the German agency KfW to purchase clean-fuel buses with interest as low as 1.5 per cent. “We’re aiming to roll out buses operating on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) in the near future. As per the plan, the society will purchase the buses and entrust shareholders (bus owners) to operate them upon them selling their diesel vehicles. We’ve discussed the road map with the KMRL to make a shift to environmental- friendly vehicles like in New Delhi,” said K. Prabhakaran, managing director of Prateeksha Transport Operators Organisation Pvt Ltd, one of the seven societies that was officially launched on Saturday.
The plan is also on the basis of the initiative by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up CNG dispensing stations in the Greater Cochin Area. A senior KMRL official said the plan is to completely shift to electric operated public service vehicles by 2030 and clean fuels such as LNG and CNG will be used as the first step towards the goal. “We can cut the pollution by half if the city buses switch over to clean fuels,” he said. Meanwhile, the private bus owners have started reaping the benefits of forming societies. The Indian Oil Corporation has agreed to give a discount of upto Rs 3 per litre for bulk purchase of fuel by the respective societies. “The other advantages are expense saved by bulk purchase of spare parts, insurance and the end to competitiveness among the owners,” Mr Prabhakaran said.
