Governor José Calzada Rovirosa launched yesterday the so-called “conversion program for the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel” in vehicles that carry passengers in Querétaro, Mexico. At the City Congress Centre, he invited all public transportation operators to join this initiative that will benefit everybody.
“We can save about 50 percent of fuel costs to run the public transport vehicles; in the case of taxis, there may be a saving of about 2,000 Mexican pesos per week when using compressed natural gas,” he explained.
Moreover, Secretary of Sustainable Development Marcelo López Sánchez said the conversion of public transport is the result of the creation of ‘Proaire’ program, focused on making an evaluation of environmental quality in the metropolitan area and the setting up of a public policy to ensure the well-being of families. “Through atmospheric measurement units, we determined that one of the major contributors to air pollution in Queretaro is transportation,” said the official.
The retrofit of taxis and minibuses in the metropolitan area consists of changing the fuel systems from gasoline to CNG/gasoline in vehicles with a service life of more than five year. Thus, fifth generation equipment will be installed, meeting Euro IV standards, with multipoint sequential injection.
Regarding the acquisition of dedicated natural gas buses, there are committed 150 new vehicles for six of the ten public transportation companies affiliated to the Red Q. These buses will come into operation after the end of its production process, planned for this year.
According to local media, Dina Camiones won so far the manufacturing of 66 Runner 9 G powered by natural gas for the metropolitan transportation system of Querétaro.
Source: Government of the State of Queretaro.
