KOCHI: Indicating a paradigm shift in the usage of clean energy, private bus owners are beginning to favour CNG-fitted vehicles. If all goes according to plan, the state’s first CNG-fitted private buses will begin services by the last week of October. Two private buses plying on the Aluva-Tripunithura route and the Vyttila-Vyttila circular route are set to be equipped with the latest technology at Metro Fuels, a company which handles retrofitting at Edappally.
Though the KSRTC had launched a CNG vehicle two years ago, private buses remained reluctant to convert vehicles from diesel to CNG.“We have carried out extensive research before deciding to convert our buses to CNG.
In the beginning, two buses will be converted. If we don’t adapt now, we cannot survive. If the cost saving as expected, I will convert all 11 buses of mine to CNG,” said George Joseph, the secretary of a bus owners’ group.
According to the retrofitting company, private buses which ply an average of 250km per day can save nearly Rs 40,000 per month by merely switching to CNG.“On an average, each private bus in Kochi spends nearly Rs 5,000 each day for fuel alone.
If they convert from diesel to CNG, they can save nearly Rs 1,250 on fuel cost. The retrofitting charges for buses will be around Rs 4 lakh, which the owners can recover within a year,” said Geo John Palatty, MD, Metro Fuels.
Nearly 10 bus owners have expressed interest to convert their vehicles to CNG, Geo said.“We are planning to complete the conversion of the first two vehicles by the end of October.
Already, we have received an order for 10 vehicles. It is good to note that several bus owners have understood the benefits of using CNG,” he said. However, the lack of sufficient refilling stations remains a concern.
“Currently, refilling stations are available in Kochi alone. Cities like Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode have none. Though several refilling stations were promised by the Indian Oil-Adani Gas Pvt Ltd and BPCL, nothing has materialised,” said the member of a bus owners’ association, requesting anonymity.