By Maroe T. Genosa/Philippine News Agency
BATANGAS CITY — The Department of Energy (DOE) on Monday turned over 50 electricity-run or e-trikes to the city government which will be distributed to qualified tricycle drivers as part of the city’s livelihood program.
“Ang three-wheeled e-trikes na ito ay environment-friendly sapagkat gumagamit ng kuryente sa halip na gasolina o diesel upang mabawasan ang carbon emissions sa kapaligiran. Ito ay pwedeng magsakay ng limang pasahero bukod ang driver. (These three-wheeled e-trikes are environment-friendly because these use electricity instead of gasoline or diesel to reduce carbon emissions in the environment. These can ferry five passengers in addition to the driver),” said City Mayor Beverley Rose Dimacuha, who received the e-trikes.
Dimacuha tasked the city e-trikes Project Management Team to evaluate the qualified beneficiaries who must be bona fide active members of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) of good standing, no criminal or police record, have the capacity to maintain the e-trike, has a garage, among other criteria.
Batangas City is one of the local government unit (LGU) recipients under the DOE Market Transformation through Introduction of Energy-Efficient Electric Vehicles Project.
Oliver Gonzales, head of the City Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO), said the city qualified as one of the LGU recipients for the e-trike project due to its environmental programs and ecological drive as part of its Local Climate Change Reduction Plan that aims to curb carbon monoxide emissions from vehicles.
Gonzales said each e-trike costs PHP455,000 and uses the re-chargeable lithium ion battery that normally requires three hours full charging for its 50-kilometer trip.
He noted the city government has established the charging stations for the e-trikes, and the Management Team is now studying the affordable maintenance fee per e-trike for the qualified beneficiaries.
The city government will also assume the maintenance of the e-trikes through trained city hall employees who will in turn train e-trike qualified beneficiary drivers/operators, he added.
Gonzales further said the e-trikes are now registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), including the comprehensive insurance, through the city government.
Part of the guidelines for beneficiaries, he said, is to comply with the standard fare matrix issued by the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board here.
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