The bus began operations on February 27 (scoop published by NGVJournal.com) as part of the Line 322 route fleet operated by Ecotrans, which runs through the cities of Morón, Ituzaingó, Merlo and Marco Paz, in the province of Buenos Aires. It had been officially presented in Bahía Blanca last year, as a result of an initiative carried out by Suncell Bahiense SA, the company that has conducted several road tests in different parts of the country and now is promoting the passengers phase along with TATSA, which is the manufacturer of the Puma 12 model, fully driven by compressed natural gas.
On March 7, NGV industry leaders such as Fausto Maranca and Diego Goldin joined the experience of travelling by the CNG bus in regular service. Other executives took part in the event; from Gas Natural Fenosa: Mobility Solutions manager Roberto Guagnini, Energy Solutions manager Carlos Nana, and Account Executive Eduardo Griego; Ecotrans Operations manager Matías Venier; and Suncell Bahiense representatives Ezequiel Facetti and Mauro Trellini.
Prensa Vehicular shared the experience with the executives and spoke exclusively with Maranca and Goldin. “This project expresses hope, after so much effort made for the replacement of diesel. You have to find the way for this experience to become popular. Natural gas should be more adopted by transport sector, for citizens’ sake, to bring benefits to both users and drivers, and also to cut transportation costs, because oil is getting more and more expensive and natural gas, cheaper,” the CAGNC president stated.
Meanwhile, the executive director of NGV Global shared his views on the project: “The kickoff has been great so far. This initiative proves feasibility to companies, users and government officials and brings economic benefits to the entire chain, from the companies involved to the Government, which can save a lot of money in subsidies. In addition, there is a promising future with the development of unconventional natural gas reserves, and our country ranks third in the world in the segment.
You can read the full article on this news featuring the bus drivers and passengers’ experiences in the March issue of Prensa Vehicular.
