Making its way around Kuching
On Sarawak Metro’s hydrogen bus trial operation, a new route was recently introduced in connection with the first anniversary of the operation, covering more areas of the city for the greater convenience of commuters.
“Over this one-year period, we have proven that this green technology – hydrogen FCEVs – can work well in a tropical climate and can actually provide us with a glimpse of what’s possible in terms of making our cities cleaner through smart public transportation systems,” Minister of Transport Datuk Lee Kim Shin said during the launch of the new route back in January 2020.
“This is an exciting development, especially since the continued trial operation of these vehicles would serve to better prepare us for the KUTS, which would rely heavily on green and clean technology.”
SEDC chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr Abdul Aziz Husain said the hydrogen bus trial operation had provided valuable insight into the workings of operating a fleet of heavy hydrogen FCEVs, especially for public transportation.
“Our aspiration to have a cleaner public transport system in Sarawak has moved one step closer with the implementation of our hydrogen bus trial operation, which remains to be the only hydrogen bus service operating in Southeast Asia the moment,” he said.
The buses were sourced from China’s Foshan Feichi Automobile Manufacture Co, Ltd (Feichi).
“We record our appreciation for the close cooperation established between our team at Sarawak Metro and Feichi during the trial run. Together with Feichi, we would continue to monitor, assess and analyse the performance of the hydrogen buses during the trial operation.”
As of February 2021, the trial operation and passenger service of the hydrogen buses for both the Downtown Heritage Loop and Damai Loop routes are temporarily suspended until further notice.
Sarawak Metro in a statement said the temporary suspension was part of its precautionary safety measures as the bus drivers had close contact with a third-party contractor, who was recently tested positive for Covid-19.
Currently, the hydrogen bus operator is making arrangements for all the bus drivers to undergo a Covid-19 screening and conduct sanitising work on all the buses.
“Since resuming our trial operation on September 2 last year, we have adhered strictly to all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) outlined by the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) including regular sanitising inside the vehicles, ensuring everyone in the bus wears face masks and taking every passengers’ body temperature.
“We regret any inconvenience caused by the temporary suspension of the hydrogen bus trial operation and we will duly notify the public once the passenger service is resumed,” it said.