City launches trial run of electric buses

The buses will run on three roads in Vientiane and use 35 bus-stops, with free services to be offered in the morning and afternoon.
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment has given the buses to Laos’ Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to help improve the operations of the Vientiane State Bus Enterprise.

The two ministries are also cooperating in the Vientiane Xaysettha Low-carbon Demonstration Zone-China Climate Change South-South Cooperation Project. 
The Vientiane State Bus Enterprise will expand the service to more areas of the city if the trial run is successful and a large number of people use the buses.
It is envisaged that the use of electric buses will be a useful addition to existing public transport services and will help to reduce the high number of accidents on the city’s roads by lowering the number of private vehicles and motorbikes that currently crowd main thoroughfares.

The buses also support the city’s green ambitions, reduce pollution, and save on fuel costs, while being an overall improvement to public transport.
A ceremony to start the trial run of the buses was led by the Mayor of Vientiane Dr Atsaphangthong Siphandone and the deputy mayor and attended by members of various organisations.
Dr Atsaphangthong said the project was a joint initiative of the Lao and Chinese governments to help tackle the problem of pollution and global warming.
He was confident that the Vientiane State Bus Enterprise would be successful in running the electric buses and they would prove to be a great asset to the city. 

Their use would contribute to the city’s social and economic development planned for 2021 to 2025, as well as improving environmental conditions.
The government is aiming for electric buses to account for 30 percent of all buses used around the country, and will try to develop Vientiane in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways.
It is hoped that students, government officials and the general public will be keen to try out the new buses, and that at least 100 people will travel on them each day of the trial run.

According to vientianetimes.org.la

(https://www.vientianetimes.org.la/freeContent/FreeConten_City59.php)