Saudi Arabia has inaugurated on Thursday the first electric public transport bus in the Kingdom in the city of Jeddah. The step comes as part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2030.
The latest models of electric passenger buses, which are being operated by SAPTCO, will provide services to the residents of the Jeddah governorate within the public transport routes.
During a ceremony on Thursday, Acting Chairman of the Public Transport Authority (PTA) Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih inaugurated the bus service, in the presence of Mayor of Jeddah Governorate Saleh Al-Turki, and President of the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) Eng. Khaled Al-Hogail.
In a statement, PTA noted that the move falls within the objectives of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2030, and contribute to raising the quality of life in central cities through environmentally friendly means of transport.
The authority added that the bus can travel a distance of 300 kilometers on a single charge, and is considered as one of the modern buses with high efficiency, as it consumes less than 10 percent electricity compared to other electric buses.
In remarks on the occasion, Al-Rumaih said that Saudi Arabia has achieved remarkable development in the transport sector, including the type of fuel used, such as hydrogen and clean fuel, with the aim to reduce emissions from vehicles by 25 percent.
Regarding future plans, he stated that the PTA and the Jeddah governorate were seeking to provide public transport service in medium-sized cities such as Jazan, Sabya, Abu Arish, Taif, and Qassim during this year.
He added that the public transport service will also be launched in Tabuk, Al-Ahsa, and other cities.
“We are working on using other alternatives for taxis and public transport, and we have various tests to use alternatives that reduce carbon emissions, as a target for the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, until we reach a 45 percent reduction in carbon emissions in transportation, leading to clean energy,” the head of the PTA underlined.
