Emirates Transport moves to CNG

Emirates Transport plans to transfer its entire fleet of 10,500 commercial vehicles to CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and CNG/hybrid engines in a partnership with Adnoc as part of a major initiative to provide more sustainable and eco-friendly transportation services.

The federal government organisation made the announcement on Wednesday at the Commercial Vehicles Middle East exhibition in Dubai, saying the move to replace diesel with CNG/hybrid engines for its 6,500-strong fleet of buses, light and heavy trucks, and minivans will result in a 40 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions.

It also said transferring the 4,000 cars and other commercial vehicles in its fleet from petrol to CNG engines will bring a 75 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions and cut fuel costs in half.

One of the largest transportation and services enterprises in the Middle East, the Dubai-based Emirates Transport has commissioned feasibility studies by Italian and Dutch experts.

Once these have been completed and tests have been carried out to ensure compliance with European Union, international and UAE regulation standards, the transfers are expected to get under way at the start of 2012.

Emirates Transport also confirmed at Commercial Vehicles Middle East that it is currently undergoing partnership negotiations with Emarat and Eppco to establish CNG filling points at gas stations across Dubai and Sharjah.

The next step will be to transfer the Dubai Police fleet of 2,000 cars and the Sharjah taxi fleet of 5,500 vehicles to CNG engines.

Mohammed Al Jerman, General Manager of Emirates Transport, said: “This is part of a wider initiative by the company to provide more sustainable and eco-friendly transportation services at local and regional levels according to the highest international standards.”

Emirates Transport has already begun the transfer of the Abu Dhabi police fleet of 511 vehicles and the Abu Dhabi taxi fleet of 1,700 cars to CNG.

The process, which costs Dh7,400 per vehicle and takes five hours, has so far been completed for 250 cars, bringing CO2 reductions of 75 per cent and 50 per cent savings in fuel costs. Earlier this month, Emirates Transport opened Dubai's only Adnoc-certified CNG transfer centre.