TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The government said Thursday (June 1) it was going to spend NT$64.3 billion (US$2.09 billion) to replace 9,400 city buses with electric versions by 2030.

At the regular weekly Cabinet meeting, ministers listened to a report about the plan, which will launch in 2024. Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said a start had already been made with helping local bus manufacturers design and develop electric buses.

The premier pointed out the important role the transformation of buses would play in the government’s overall target of making Taiwan reach zero-emission status by 2050, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.

In 2030, all public buses servicing the country’s urban areas would no longer use fossil fuels, and record zero carbon emissions, Chen said. He told the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC), the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), and the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to speed up their joint efforts to achieve the targets.

As there were still 9,400 buses powered by fossil fuels on the roads of Taiwan’s cities, the project would require the removal of an average of 1,300 buses per year, he said. He called on local governments to assist bus operators and achieve the aim of operating only electric buses in 2030.