TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Pingtung launched 10 electric buses Wednesday to operate services to the popular destinations of Hengchun and Kenting.

The vehicles replaced diesel buses on nine lines in the southern county, per CNA. The local government said the move signified its determination to participate in the development of sustainable tourism.

The county said it successfully applied for a NT$7.5 million (US$237,000) subsidy from the central government. The funding will help local transportation businesses join the green transition and reduce carbon emissions and noise at a popular tourist destination, officials said.

Taiwan has set 2030 as the deadline for all city buses to go electric. The introduction in Pingtung of the 10 buses costing NT$10 million each to manufacture extends the green transition down to the country’s southernmost tip.

The buses will travel an estimated 518,000 kilometers per year, cutting 259,000 kilograms of carbon per year for the equivalent of planting 20,000 trees, according to the bus company. The routes will target tourists and visitors from outside the county, but also students and commuters.