6,000 eco-friendly vehicles on roads by 2012

GREEN PLAN: 6,000 eco-friendly vehicles could be in Dubai in four years time following a successful trial of hybrid taxis.

Dubai's fleet of taxis, government vehicles, police cars and ambulances could all be eco-friendly by 2012, it was announced on Monday.

A trial of 10 hybrid taxis - run on a combination of fuel and electricity - has been a big success and the man charged with the green initiative believes up to 6,000 vehicles could be converted by 2012.

An agreement was signed in November 2007 between the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA), General Motors and the Government of Dubai to reduce the impact of pollution on the environment.

“Run on a combination of fuel and electricity, 10 RTA taxis are already part of the fleet and the initial tests and feedback are very encouraging,” Terence B. Johnsson, president, GM Middle East Operations, told Khaleej Times.

The switch over to hybrid comes in response to an initiative put forward by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“The feedback has been overwhelming. There’s a very significant saving in both carbon-emission and fuel efficiency. Once the data is analysed, it’ll take us to phase four, which is when we actually commercialise the opportunity,” he added.

Johnsson said the aim was to have up to 6,000 vehicles running in Dubai alone using hybrid or any other environmentally friendly technology in the next four years with existing taxis phased out over the period.

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