Eng. Youssef Saleh Al-Suwaiji, Chairman of Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority, announced that the first electric bus in the emirate will be operated and subjected to the initial testing process, after signing an agreement with Reliance Motors, the authorized agent for the Chinese Shangan Bus.
Al-Suwaiji clarified that the successive developments and the changes brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution invite us all to keep pace with these changes to keep pace with the population growth accompanying this revolution, and the resulting traffic densities that obligate us to find alternative and environmental solutions when developing transport infrastructure, explaining that the operation of the bus today is one of the most important initiatives of the authority Towards the future as it is the starting point for the electrical transformation in the Authority’s fleet operating system and the dependence on clean energy in support of the rational leadership initiatives related to the transition to a green economy for sustainable development, through the adoption of Embracing sustainable innovations in the field of transportation, which contributes to achieving our plan towards sustainable environmental and cultural transport, a translation of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, who in turn stressed the importance of preserving the environment and its sustainability for future generations, which became the emirate thanks His Highness’s directives are an environmentally friendly emirate, stressing that the criteria of sustainability, protection of natural resources, public health, environmental preservation and limiting harmful emissions is one of the most important social development conditions that His Highness always stresses in order to improve human life.
In detail, the Director of the Authority for Communications, Abdulaziz Al-Jarwan, explained that the electric bus is a qualitative shift in transportation in the emirate, and that it will undergo a 6-month trial before adding similar buses to the authority’s fleet, as an ambitious step to enhance the idea of sustainable transportation, as one of the main axes to reach environmentally friendly transportation systems More energy efficient, and reduce carbon emissions from conventional fuels.
Pointing out that the bus has standard specifications that are in line with the nature and airspace of the country, so that it is able to withstand weather conditions, high temperatures and humidity, and their differences throughout the year, which represent fundamental challenges to the performance and efficiency of electric vehicles everywhere, and it can accommodate 27 people sitting and a safe space To stand up to 30 people, places for the elderly are sufficient, as well as its floor is low for ease of use by different age groups, and the bus route has been determined from the Jubail station to the Al Musalla station in the Emirate of Ajman.
Al Jarwan added that all the safety and security elements are available on the bus according to international standards, and are equipped with rechargeable batteries, and each battery is eligible to travel 200 kilometers before recharging it again, and there is one charging station in the bus parking station in the Al-Azra area, and the battery is covered with safety covers so that it does not The bus can be operated if the cover is open, as is the case with the bus doors in the event that it was not properly sealed, and the driver sitting in a flat and correct way is considered one of the most important safety and security factors in the bus, as it needs a specific session the drivers of the vehicle have been trained Of them, so as to ensure in the event of one of the passengers sat on the driver's seat, it will not work.
He emphasized that the most skilled drivers for the authority were selected for training and qualification to work on the bus, on a shift basis.
Mr. Yusef Suleiman Al Hammadi, Director of Procurement and Administrative Services, added that the authority is in the process of providing sustainable mobility solutions and providing environmentally friendly transportation, which enhances the use of various groups of society for mass transportation. The authority’s team has made a number of field visits to companies and factories specialized in manufacturing friendly buses For the environment, to choose the best ones in terms of specifications and standards that are commensurate with the nature of the atmosphere and infrastructure in the country, and in fact we reached this kind after studying it well, and the authority’s team of specialists added some adjustments to the existing specifications The most important of these is the battery cooling system to ensure the highest safety rates during the operation of buses, the quality of specifications and the general shape of the bus for them, in proportion to the identity of the authority and the emirate.
It is mentioned that the authority has previous efforts to support the green economy and preserve the environment, as the authority operates 750 hybrid taxis powered by electricity and gasoline, which contributed to reducing the proportion of pollutants and carbon emissions resulting from traditional fuels.