The Largest Bus System In The World Is Going Green
As the world continues to struggle in the fight to combat the growing climate crisis, Indonesia is taking further action by transitioning its public bus system to electric.
Transportation is one of the biggest polluters on the planet, accounting for 15 percent of greenhouse gases expelled around the globe.
That makes the transition to green transportation a top priority, and it’s something Indonesia is taking very seriously since the country has the world’s largest public bus system.
According to the World Economic Forum:
With almost 200 million passengers a year, the Indonesian capital has the world’s largest public bus system – as well as some of the world’s worst traffic congestion and air pollution.
To meet demand, the Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit System is adding more buses to its fleet and increasing the number of routes. But in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government wants to transition to cleaner transport.
Transjakarta has begun testing electric buses, or e-buses, on public roads and plans to allow passengers on board once it has conducted further testing and obtained the necessary permits.
It’s a big deal that will have a positive impact on the environment. As the Amazon rainforest burns and the Trump administration prepares to let loggers cut down the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, a key tool in fighting climate change is being lost with every tree being killed. Rainforests provide a buffer against climate change by sucking up most of the carbon dioxide and producing the oxygen we breathe. In doing so, they also keep the planet cooler than it otherwise would be without them.
And so, nations have to find ways to offset these losses in addition to trying to prevent them, which is why tackling transportation pollution is crucial.
China is most certainly playing their part, with over 420,000 electric buses on the job there, with hundreds of thousands more on the way. That number constitutes the lion’s share of the 425,000 total electric buses in use globally last year.
But like Indonesia, other nations are starting to get on board.
For instance, the European Union is requiring some zero emissions buses by 2025 while the United Kingdom is also making a strong play.
According to the London Mayor’s office:
Since last year, all new double-deck buses will be hybrid, electric or hydrogen to focus on only buying the greenest, cleanest buses. In central London, all double-deck buses will be hybrid as of 2019 and all single-deck buses will emit zero exhaust emissions by 2020. By 2037 at the latest, all 9,200 buses across London will be zero emission.
Unfortunately, the United States is seriously lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to replacing bus fleets, with only 300 electric buses currently in service. Again, China has 420,000+ electric buses. New York City, however, is looking to have an all-electric fleet by 2040, while California will require all new buses be emission-free starting in 2029.
Hopefully, the United States will adopt a Green New Deal and start competing to catch up with China and the rest of the world to lead the way in green technology and implementation. Because without the United States playing a major role, global efforts will fall short of stopping uncontrolled climate change. That is if it isn’t already too late.
Featured Image: Wikimedia