FG Launches CNG Mass Transit Revolution

FG starts a national mass transit conversion program to CNG

The national Mass Transit Conversion Program has been announced by the Presidential Compress Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) in collaboration with Rolling Energy.

This declaration was made on Wednesday, May 29, during the PCNGI's opening of a conversion and refueling facility in the capital city of Ilorin, Kwara State.

A PCNGI statement states that the initiative's goal is to switch mass transport vehicles to cleaner energy sources, thereby lowering emissions and advancing environmental sustainability.

The President Bola Tinubu administration's PCNGI program aims to promote sustainable energy alternatives across Nigeria. PCNGI seeks to mitigate environmental effects and expedite the transportation sector's shift to sustainable energy sources by means of innovative projects and strategic collaborations.

The conversion program will start with a phase that is implemented in Lagos, Kwara, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and the Rivers States. The major transport unions, such as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the Road Transport Employers' Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), will work together to carry out this phase of the program.

PCNGI declared that the deployment will start at eight of the more than 120 specified conversion workshop sites in order to guarantee the program's success. Important union partners will have a chance to watch and assess the conversion process after this first phase, offering insightful input as the program prepares to extend operations over the course of the following 45 days across 15 states.

It said, “PCNGI and Rolling Energy are committed to driving Nigeria towards a more sustainable future. Establishing the Ilorin site and the nationwide conversion program are pivotal steps in reducing our carbon footprint and enhancing the efficiency of mass transit systems.”

The public who are interested in vehicle conversions are invited to visit Rolling Energy in Ilorin, NITT and Nipco in Abuja, Total Support and Femadec in Abuja, Fixlt45, and Portland in Lagos.

This comes after the Presidency declared that 2,700 CNG-powered buses and tricycles would be introduced prior to May 29, which is President Tinubu's first day of office.

The Federal Government aims to establish 100 conversion workshops and 60 refueling sites across 18 states by the end of 2024.