HCM City (VNS/VNA) - After several yearsof using eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) to fuel some of its fleet, HoChi Minh City’s public bus system is now on the verge of a fuel shortage as theonly supplier plans to reduce supply, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has reported.

The city’s authorities have set a goal ofreplacing diesel-burning buses with CNG-fuelled ones to protect the environment.

CNG is mainly composed of methane and ispopularly known as a cleaner fuel as it produces less in the way of harmfulemissions.

By 2020, more than 3,100 new buses will be inoperation, of which 75 percent will be CNG vehicles. At present, 428 of2,457 of the city's public buses use the gas.

Despite the rising demand for CNG, PV Gas SouthCompany is the only supplier for the whole city.

In late May, the company announced it would reduceby up to 30 percent the CNG it supplied for public buses in the rest of 2019 toprovide gas for electricity generation if requested by the Ministry of Industryand Trade.

In case of a fuel cut, the company will notifycity authorities only two hours in advance to adjust the public bus operationplan.

Previously, the company’s branch in Dong Naiprovince asked some public transport operators in HCM City to agree on a newprice calculation, saying they would otherwise stop providing CNG. The cityoperators had no choice but to accept.

Responding to the announcement, HCM City’sDepartment of Transport said the reduction in CNG supply would disorganise thecity's public transportation system and discourage investors who want toupgrade buses to CNG-burning ones.

Therefore, the department asked the PV Gas tocommand PV Gas South Company to consider not reducing the CNG supply for HCMCity’s public buses.

Cao Thanh Binh, deputy head of the Department ofEconomic Budget under the HCM City People’s Council, said the city needed tofind two or three additional CNG suppliers to ease its dependence on the PV GasSouth Company.

According to the HCM City Public TransportManagement Centre, PVGazProm wants to provide CNG starting next year.

In HCM City, CNG buses are fuelled at fourstations in Tan Binh and Binh Chanh districts and District 12. The procedure istime-consuming, according to operators.

Many buses have to travel tens of kilometres offtheir usual routes to refuel, but the cost of travel is not subsidised.

Binh asked related departments and agencies toestablish more CNG stations.

The public transport management centre plans tobuild 11 CNG stations, first at Cho Lon Bus Station, district 8, Tan Phu districtand Cu Chi district.-VNS/VNA