German bank to assist green bus project in Vietnam
The German public-owned development bank KfW wants to implement a project on low-carbon buses in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, said Director of the KfW office in Hanoi Christian Haas at a meeting with the local leaders on July 5.
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Accordingly, the project will invest in the operation of 200 green buses in Can Tho and Hanoi between now and 2020. Of the total, 50 buses are set to run in Can Tho. The vehicles include both hybrid and hybrid electric bus, each can accommodate 50 passengers.
The project will expand to the remaining cities in Vietnam in five years from 2020.
Estimated costs amount to approximately US$4 billion, of which 8% is a non-refundable fund.
If the project is given the green light, it will help Vietnam cut emissions by about four million tonnes and reduce noise pollution in urban areas.
Dao Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the city totally endorses the plan, adding that the local bus system is rather old, and the rate of bus users remains low.
Can Tho will call on public transport operators to renew the system in the near future, he said.
Dung noted that the local transport infrastructure is more suitable to the operation of 30-seated buses, and the city expects to receive about 30 green buses of this type from the project in addition to the 50-seated ones.
