Next month, Abu Dhabi will introduce a fleet of electric and hydrogen-powered buses as part of its green public transport initiative, according to a senior official from the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC)-Abu Dhabi. Anan Alamri, head of the Alternative Sustainable Mobility section at ITC’s Public Transport Affairs Sector, mentioned this during the 'The Journey to Net Zero Forum' organized by Khaleej Times on Tuesday. Alamri highlighted that these zero-emission buses align with Abu Dhabi’s goal to make 20% of its public transport green by 2030 and fully environmentally friendly by 2050.
Although the exact number of buses and their routes were not disclosed, Alamri assured that the deployment would be within Abu Dhabi, and bus fares would remain unchanged. She also noted that charging stations have been set up at the bus depots. Unlike conventional buses that run on fossil fuels, electric and hydrogen-powered buses do not release harmful pollutants or greenhouse gases; hydrogen buses specifically emit only water vapor.
During the panel discussion on 'Building Tomorrow: Pioneering Renewable Energy, Circular Economy, Smart Construction, and Sustainable Mobility for a Greener Future,' Alamri mentioned that this would be the first public introduction of hydrogen buses in Abu Dhabi. She also mentioned that young Emirati engineers were previously sent to China and South Korea to learn about operating and maintaining hydrogen and electric buses.
Additionally, during COP28 in December last year, ITC-Abu Dhabi operated an all-electric fleet of nine buses, transporting passengers from Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal A to the COP28 venue at Expo City Dubai. Ateeq Al Mazrouei, director of the planning department at ITC, stated that this was the first instance of electric buses being used for intercity transportation between emirates, operating 24 hours a day. He added that these buses, covering 520km daily, helped reduce carbon emissions by 3.7 tonnes per day.
