COMET electric buses will be used to transport workers in several Lopez-led firms in Batangas. Handout photo
MANILA - Lopez Group companies under First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH) are set to launch a zero-emission bus shuttle service project for their workers in Batangas.
FPH said the initiative is part of a program to use more green technology and reduce carbon emissions in their businesses and allied services.
Two high-tech COMET electric buses, scheduled for delivery in October, will be used for the service, FPH said.
The COMET, or Community Optimized Managed Electric Transport, can carry 30 passengers and travel up to 100 kilometers on a single charge.
Each bus also comes equipped with wifi connection, a GPS or global position system device, and other amenities, including a contact-tracing app.
FPH said that First Balfour, through unit Therma One Transport Corporation (TOTC), has reached an agreement with GET-Philippines, the local arm of US-based Global Electric Transport Worldwide, Inc. (GET), for the initial acquisition from GET of two, new-generation COMET electric buses.
TOTC has also finalized a separate agreement with electric transformer maker First Philec Inc., another FPH subsidiary, for the use of the first COMET bus by First Philec employees in Lopez-controlled First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), a 520-hectare special economic zone in Batangas.
TOTC plans to replicate the non-polluting transport project in other business sites and projects where the project will be suitable.
“We have been integrating sustainability in our businesses and in how we operate. We have been looking at investing in electric vehicles for service vehicles for some time now. For us, this is the future,” TOTC President Anthony Fernandez stressed during the signing agreements last Aug. 11.
“This demonstrates that we are ready to forge collaborations and partnerships for a decarbonized and regenerative future,” said First Philec President Ariel Ong during the online signing ceremony.
GET-Philippines President Freddie Tinga said partnering with the Lopez Group was a huge milestone for the company.
"We expect that we will be together at the forefront of what we believe is a changing of the guard in the transport and sustainability sector," Tinga said.
ABS-CBN Corp is part of the Lopez Group of Companies. news.abs-cbn.com is the official news website of ABS-CBN.
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