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By Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi
In an effort to actualise autogas policy, the Federal Government has collaborated with a private firm, Femadec Group, to commence the deployment of compressed natural gas-powered mass transit buses in Abuja with effect from May 5.
The Federal Government’s autogas policy was launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2020.
The Chief Executive Officer of Fernadec Group, Mr Fola Akinnola made this known during an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.
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It was also disclosed that the scheme will commence with 20 buses which were manufactured by Hyundai in South Korea
According to Akinnola said, “We intend to start on May 5, after the long holidays. Preparations are being put in place, drivers are being trained and also installation of the payment system in the buses is ongoing.
“We are partnering with Abuja Urban Mass Transport to ensure that we have a smooth take off.
“The Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses were cheaper to operate and are also environmental friendly as the world was moving toward cleaner sources of energy.
“Part of our business plan and strategy is to key into the Federal Government’s gas penetration scheme which includes CNG and autogas.
“There is a lot of mass transportation in the country using diesel and petrol. Apart from being environmentally hazardous, diesel has become very expensive.
“We saw this a long time ago and even without being given any contract, we decided to bring in these first 20 buses because we envisaged that this time is going to come where people will likely want to switch to gas.”
While speaking, Akinnola further explained that the firm is planning to acquire 100 compressed natural gas buses by the end of 2022.