Dubai’s RTA urges driving institutes to switch to CNG
Licensing agency briefs driving centres about benefits of powering vehicles with compressed natural gas
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is urging driving institutes in the city to consider powering their fleets with compressed natural gas (CNG) to reduce pollution.
The move is in line with other green initiatives by the government body, the RTA said in a statement.
Ahmed Bahrozyan, chief executive of the RTA Licensing Agency, said the agency “has held a number of workshops for all driving institutes and brought them together with other concerned parties in the emirate such as Emirates Gas, ENOC and Emirates Transport, where they have been briefed about the results and benefits of powering their vehicles by CNG, a clean and environment-friendly fuel.”
“The Emirates Driving Institute has embarked from the start of this year the switching of their 50 vehicles to gas-powered vehicles as a provisional step towards converting remaining vehicles successively during the year,” Bahrozyan added.
“Converting our training vehicles into CNG-powered vehicles underscores the Institute’s commitment towards curbing carbon emissions,” said Amer Belhasa, Executive Director of Emirates Driving Institute. Apart from reduced pollution, benefits of natural gas also include “reducing the frequency of vehicle maintenance requirements, and extending the lifespan of the engine,” he added.
UAE’s Emirates Transport (ET), a transport services provider, is also looking to convert its vehicles from petrol to CNG, the firm’s general manager said in a recent interview with Truck & Fleet ME.
“Currently, the main concern in the UAE and worldwide is the environment, looking for ways to decrease our carbon footprint,” said H.E. Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarman.
“That’s why ET, under a contract with Adnoc Distribution, created the Etihad Centre for Gas Conversion, for the conversion of vehicles from petrol to compressed natural gas (CNG). The initiative has been very successful, with 4029 vehicles converted in the country since the inauguration of the project in 2011, and both government and private organisations are encouraging fleet conversion to benefit the environment and cut costs.”
A full interview with Mohammed Abdullah Al Jarman can be found in the February issue of Truck & Fleet ME
