JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia's first electric public transport bus started operation in Jeddah on Thursday. Acting Chairman of the Public Transport Authority (PTA) Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih inaugurated the bus service in a ceremony held in the presence of the Mayor of Jeddah Governorate Saleh Al-Turki and President of the Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) Eng. Khaled Al-Hogail. The latest models of electric passenger buses, which are being operated by SAPTCO, will provide services to the residents of the Jeddah governorate within the public transport routes. The electric buses will operate along the A7 route that connects Khalidiyah with Balad via Prince Saud Al-Faisal Street and pass through Madinah Road. Passengers in the neighborhoods of Khalidiyah, Rowdah, Andalus, Ruwais, and Baghdadiyah can benefit from the services. Dr. Al-Rumaih said that Saudi Arabia has achieved remarkable development in the transport sector, including the type of fuel used, such as hydrogen and clean fuel, in addition to electric vehicles and logistics services to reduce emissions from vehicles by 25 percent. This will be achieved through means of clean energy transportation, using them throughout the season in Jeddah and expanding them to different regions of the Kingdom. Regarding future projects aimed at easing traffic jams, Dr. Al-Rumaih stated that the mission of PTA and Jeddah Mayoralty is to start providing public transport service in medium-sized cities such as Jazan, Sabya, Abu Arish, Taif, and Qassim during this year. The public transport service will also be launched in Tabuk, Al-Ahsa, and other cities, which will provide an excellent service to transport citizens and residents from their homes to workplaces. "We are working on using other alternatives for taxis and public transport, and we have various tests to use alternatives that reduce carbon emissions, as a target for the Kingdom's Vision 2030, until we reach a 45 percent reduction in carbon emissions in transportation, leading to clean energy," he added. The PTA said in a statement that the launching of the electric public transport bus service comes within the objectives of the National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services aimed at reducing carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2030. This is also part of adopting modern methods and technologies in transport activities and services to reduce carbon emissions and contribute to raising the quality of life in central cities through environmentally friendly transportation. The authority stated that the bus can travel a distance of 300 kilometers on a single charge, and it is considered as one of the modern buses with high efficiency, as it consumes less than 10 percent electricity compared to other electric buses.
