BAGUIO City’s local government has begun testing work on the use of electric bus (e-bus) in the city following its being chosen as one of the four cities tasked with piloting electric vehicles in the country by the Department of Transportation (DoTr).
The e-bus testing will officially launch on Sunday, November 20 and is expected to last until December 3, but the Global Electric Transport (GET) e-bus has been tested by ferrying Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Bokawkan Road.
The GET e-buses, called Comets, are powered by lithium ferro phosphate batteries with a rated energy consumption of 53.47 kilowatts per hour and will ply “green routes” under the urban route plan for Baguio.
Tests are being conducted to see if the Comets are able to reliably ply Baguio roads, as previous models of electric-powered mini-buses could not handle the steep roads of certain Baguio routes, and the current fleet of mini-buses, or the so-called modern jeepneys serving some city routes run on conventional fuel.
Meanwhile, Austrian cable car manufacturer Doppelmayr proposed to the city government a Baguio aerial ropeway transit plan during this week’s executive-legislative assembly.
Cable cars, trams, and electric monorails are among the potential low-carbon urban transport projects considered for Baguio in 2019.
