KOCHI: A sudden increase in the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) has created confusion among private bus owners, who have been converting their traditional engines running on fossil fuel to the greener alternative. Rapid hike in petrol and diesel prices, and relatively lower price of CNG had prompted many bus owners to opt for the conversion.
After a gap of two years, the government on September 30 increased the price of natural gas from Rs 57 to Rs 62 per one kilogram. In Ernakulam district alone, 15 buses were converted into CNG post lockdown. According to companies that do the conversion, nearly 35 buses from Ernakulam and neighbouring districts have switched to CNG since February.
Private bus owners have approached Finance Minister K N Balagopal and Cooperation and Registration Minister V N Vasavan with a request to include them in merchants associations, so that they would be eligible for loans to fit their buses with CNG engines. The owners say that it costs around Rs 4.5 lakh to convert a bus.
High initial investment
According to K B Suneer, general secretary of the bus operators association in the district, owners who opted for the conversion are struggling due to little revenue. “Bus owners are apprehensive that with increasing demand for CNG, its price will also go up. We have requested the state government to arrange a loan of `2 lakh with minimum interest for bus operators too,” said Suneer.
Before the prices were hiked, there was nearly a difference of `30 per litre/kilogram between CNG and fossil fuels, while the mileage remained the same. So, for a bus that fills 50 litres of diesel per day, there would be a gain of `1,500 if it uses a CNG engine instead, he added.
Pan-Kerala conversion
Nearly 35 buses, from Ernakulam, Kottayam, Thrissur and Palakkad districts, were converted into CNG engines at Metro Fuels, a retrofitting company at Edappally. Its managing director Geo John Palatty said that though the company started off in November 2020, it had to remain inactive for four months due to the pandemic and lockdown. “There is a huge demand for conversion into CNG. Bookings are being done a month in advance now. Though there is a decrease in the number of passengers and routes due to the pandemic, the industry is hopeful of a comeback. So, the demand for green fuel would go up. Due to shortage of cylinders, we have stopped converting car engines now,” he said, adding that it takes eight to 10 days for a single conversion.
eco friendly
CNG offers better ignition reduced emissions and thus becomes environment friendly. Compressed natural gas is the cleanest burning fuel operating today. This means less vehicle maintenance and longer engine life. CNG vehicles produce the fewest emissions of any motor fuel.