December 2, 2022. Some public service vehicles (PSVs) on the Barbados island will soon be fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG).
Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT), Roy Raphael, said a CNG transition project for PSVs is in the works, through a partnership between his organisation and the L&N Company. The vehicles will be converted to use natural gas instead of diesel.
“We have started discussions with L&N as it relates to looking at a pilot project where we will be introducing this new compressed natural gas vehicle. We are going to be partnering with a number of organizations to ensure that we as public service vehicles are able to maximize on the amount of mileage that we have around Barbados,” he told the media during a tour of the company’s plant.
“When we look at it, between our 800 public service vehicles we are spending close to $50 million a year and we would basically like to reduce that because, as you recognize, some routes like Bush Hall, Eden Lodge, and the Ivy are routes that basically do not have a lot of persons on it. With the partnership, we will see the reduction in the fuel costs and the operators will be able to extend their mileage,” Raphael added.
Norman Edwards, Managing Director of L&N, which has specialized in PSV modifications in Barbados for over two decades, said transitioning to cleaner sources of fuel was a move for the better. “It’s always a good thing when you are moving to get a cleaner fuel. The drive is to go a little cleaner with electric at some point, but this is all in the process of getting there,” he explained.
