Belmonte unveils e-trike project
By Janvic Mateo
Manila, Philippines — Electronic tricycles or e-trikes would soon cater to the residents and patrons of various establishments along Tomas Morato in Quezon City.
Mayor Joy Belmonte started this week the distribution of 300 e-trikes from the Department of Energy.
Belmonte said the e-trike project aims to transform Quezon City into a green city.
Fifteen qualified tricycle drivers from Barangay Sacred Heart were the first recipients of the e-trikes.
The mayor said several barangays in Tomas Morato have agreed to serve as pilot areas for the project.
“I think that’s the perfect place to pilot this project because a lot of people go there. It is a tourist destination. We want to show to the public that we are beginning to use renewable energy,” Belmonte said.
Mayor Joy Belmonte started this week the distribution of 300 e-trikes from the Department of Energy.
“There are a lot of residents there and I think they would be happy because these e-trikes do not make so much noise,” she added.
Belmonte hopes that the use of e-trikes will encourage tricycle organizations in the city to use the environment-friendly vehicles.
The mayor said the local government plans to come up with a scheme that would entice tricycle drivers to give up their gasoline-powered units and switch to e-trikes.
Belmonte said they would establish a program that will cover maintenance, fleet management, charging stations and other incentives to make e-trikes more sustainable for drivers.
“We would also give subsidy in case they would have to change the batteries of the e-trikes,” she said.
More e-trikes are expected to be distributed in other barangays in the coming weeks, Belmonte said.
Source: The Philippine Star