Electric bus parked in front of the monorail station in the government section in the New Capital. Photo courtesy of Egyptian ministry of transportation.
El-Sheikh’s remarks came during Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s visit to the authority to follow up on the implementation of the upgraded public mass transit system.
During the tour, El-Sheikh reviewed the significant progress the authority has recently achieved in its transition toward environmentally friendly green transport.
This progress, he said, has significant substantial financial savings while supporting the state's efforts to rationalize fuel consumption and cut carbon emissions.
El-Sheikh noted that the authority has launched an ambitious program to convert buses from diesel to natural gas, with a plan to retrofit 1,962 buses in six phases, each covering 327 buses.
He said that the first and second phases have already been completed, bringing the total number of converted buses to 654.
In addition, the authority has successfully added 151 new natural gas-powered buses to its fleet, Al-Sheikh added.
Regarding green transport initiatives, El-Sheikh said that 70 air-conditioned electric buses have been put into service, noting that a comprehensive project is also underway to supply 100 new electric buses.
He added that the authority has developed a future plan to expand the operation of electric buses, noting that the technical study for a project to supply 2,000 electric buses has already been completed, while the financial feasibility study is currently being finalized.
The project, El-Sheikh said, is being implemented in cooperation with several national companies for local bus assembly.
He also pointed out that the authority operates maintenance workshops with the capacity to carry out comprehensive overhauls for 50 buses every month.
Moreover El-Sheikh announced plans to upgrade the Amiriya depot into a model facility equipped with modern charging stations as part of the Cairo Air Improvement Project.
He said that these plans are being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Development and Environment and financed by the World Bank.
The authority’s measures come as part of Egypt's broader efforts to reduce fuel consumption amidst a global energy crisis driven by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
By expanding the use of natural gas and electric buses, the country aims to enhance energy efficiency, lower fuel costs, and strengthen its long-term energy security.
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