August 1, 2023. The municipality of Ponta Grossa, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, began testing the feasibility of integrating natural gas buses into public transportation.
The initiative is part of an urban mobility program designed by the gas distributor Compagas and the bus manufacturer Scania. The objective is to certify efficiency indicators such as reduction of emissions and fuel costs.
The 100% compressed natural gas (CNG) bus will be in circulation for 30 days. Ponta Grossa is the fourth city in Paraná to receive the project, which began in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba and continued to the capital itself. In June, the same vehicle began to circulate in Londrina powered by biomethane.
“In Curitiba, the competitiveness of CNG compared to diesel was greater, guaranteeing a reduction in operating costs of around 10%, while the emission of pollutants was 20% lower”, says the General Director of Compagas, Rafael Lamastra Jr.
The demonstration vehicle will cover different lines, with capacity for 90 passengers. It will be incorporated into the Viação Campos Gerais (VCG) fleet and will operate from Monday to Saturday, between the schedules of the conventional buses that pass through the Nova Russia, Uvaranas, Central and Oficinas terminals.
“With our tests, we are demonstrating the viability of natural gas-powered buses as a solution for more sustainable mobility. We need other sources of energy so that we no longer have a 100% diesel matrix”, defends Celso Mendonça, Sales Manager of Scania Brazil.
