Luang Prabang Gets Aboard E-bus Project

The UNESCO World Heritage town Luang Prabang this week officially launched its E-Bus Project along with an electric vehicle station.

The buses will be driven along main roads in municipal areas of the province to reduce pollution and strengthen orderliness in the city.

Provincial authorities are also encouraging government officials to use more public electric buses, which are both inexpensive and environmentally friendly.

The E-bus Project currently involves over 30 electric buses including 14 buses provided as a grant from the Japanese government and around 20 buses operated by the Lao Green Company.

Each passenger will be charged 3,000 kip if they take a ride on an E-bus along one of four established lines and 5,000 kip if they take a ride on an E-taxi.

Each E-bus can take up to 7 people including the driver in the case of carrying local passengers. If the passengers are foreigners, each E-bus is permitted to take around 3-4 passengers. Some of the vehicles have been in use before the official launch.

The number of passengers taking advantage of the new e-bus service in the province was increasing day by day among local people and visitors alike, according to the coordinator of the E-Bus Project Mr Anouphab Phanalay.

The E-bus Project is a pilot initiative sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Under the project, 100 electronic buses will be eventually provided by Japan through to 2017.

If the implementation in Luang Prabang is successful, the project will be expanded to other major centres including Vientiane and Champassak province.

Source: Vientiane Times