Arubus NV, the government-owned public transportation agency for the Dutch island country of Aruba, has deployed its first all-electric transit bus in partnership with BYD Co. Ltd.
The Aruba government has committed to building a 100% zero-emissions vehicle fleet by 2020, and electrified public transportation will play a key role in reaching this objective, BYD says. The company and Arubus initiated a memorandum of understanding in June.
‘In our transition phase towards 100 percent sustainability, BYD will support Aruba by demonstrating how to convert all our vehicles, including cars, buses, taxis and all private and public vehicles, into electrified transportation,’ said Prime Minister Mike Eman.
Arubus will be leasing its initial 40-foot all-electric BYD bus until March 2014 to evaluate the technology before deploying an additional three or four buses. Ultimately, Arubus is seeking to have a total of 20 electric buses in service before 2020.
