The removal of taxes on vehicles manufactured to use compressed natural gas (CNG) is one of many incentives for citizens to convert to that fuel, Works Minister Rohan Sinanan said yesterday.
"Additionally you have the option to convert your traditional vehicle to a CNG powered source. There are companies in Trinidad and Tobago that now offer this service and the conversion will save you money on your regular fuel expenses in the long run.
"Going green for our planet may seem like an additional duty for a long list of responsibilities but the end result is worth it," he said at the inauguration of CNG supply at the Ramco Express Service Station in Orange Grove, Trincity.
Sinanan said perceived difficulties with accessing CNG fuel have been dispelled.
The minister said he was amazed at how quickly a vehicle's gas tank can be filled with CNG: "You look at a bus that could be filled in five minutes and look at a maxi in three minutes and it is almost the same time for a diesel vehicle."
He said the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) purchased 35 new CNG buses to add to its fleet in 2014 and other companies will be doing the same.
"It is important that PTSC, one of the first companies to support the CNG drive, is continuing to procure more CNG vehicles. In 2015, NGC CNG introduced a grant that is a great incentive aimed at hundreds of diesel powered maxi taxis. The programme allowed hundreds of owners to alter their fuel system to one that allows the CNG alternative," Sinanan said.
Underscoring the importance of protecting the environment at a time when the planet is under threat, the minister added: "More traditional fuels like diesel and propane which emit hydro carbons cause adverse effects in our environment and jeopardises lives on this planet. We need to view this state of affairs as a crisis. Climate change is the greatest environmental threat that we have ever faced."
Curtis Mohammed, president of NGC CNG, said the CNG equipment being installed at gas stations can comfortably cater to 700 customers per day at about three minutes to fill the average vehicle.
"With a growing number of CNG mass transit vehicles in the country, NGC CNG is suggesting to our policy makers to follow through with a plan to make the Priority Bus Route a green route," he said.