The Environment Report

MANILA – Residents of Makati City, the country's financial capital will be the first to get a sneak preview of what may soon be an Earth-friendly fixture in the streets of Metro Manila: "E-jeepneys."

On Wednesday, officials of Makati City, along with business leaders and representatives from the environmental watchdog, Greenpeace, will conduct a test run of electric jeepneys in the heart of the urban center.

If the test run proves successful, the 12-seater e-jeepneys, which can be powered by energy from the sun and organic wastes, would be extensively promoted in neighboring cities, officials said.

"This project is an innovative way of addressing two major concerns of cities, namely pollution and waste reduction," Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said.

"Makati is very keen on this project considering the volume of vehicles that we have in our central business district and the organic wastes generated by households and commercial establishments here," he added.

The other partners in the venture are Green Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc., which sprang from Greenpeace and other groups, and Solar Electric Co., which, in turn, is a part of GRIPP.

The e-jeepney campaign is part of GRIPP's Climate Friendly Cities Project, a multipronged program for mitigating climate change that promotes transport and waste management initiatives through renewable energy-based technology.

The components of the e-jeepney project are:

* fleet of 50 e-jeepneys;
* depot that shall serve as a charging station and maintenance center, as well as an information center; and
* power plant consisting of a generator, a high solid anaerobic digester which decomposes organic waste to produce biogas, and a gas engine.

Binay said the city government and its partners have begun talks with major stakeholders, particularly leaders of jeepney drivers associations, about the long-term prospects of the project.

The mayor said he was glad that the initial reaction of the groups were "receptive."

During the test run, two e-jeepneys would traverse the length of Ayala Avenue, starting from the Makati Fire Station toward the park in front of Makati Shangri-La Hotel, the city's public affairs chief, Joey Salgado, said.

"Most likely, the drivers will charge passengers the regular jeepney fare. We will take it up with the Land Transportation Office," he told the Inquirer.

Under the arrangement, the two e-jeepneys will be leased by the city from GRIPP. If the test run proves the idea feasible, the city would lease more units, officials said.

Binay said they were looking into the economics of the project.

"If the e-jeepney can help increase the income of jeepney drivers by removing their expenditure for gasoline, then all the more reason for us to push ahead with the project," he said.