The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Sharjah has initiated to replace its petrol-run taxis to hybrid taxis to reduce carbon emissions and increase fuel efficiency. As the job completes at the end of this year, RTA Sharjah will have 200 hybrid taxis in its fleet promoting UAE’s green vision.

Abdulaziz Al Jarwan, director of Sharjah RTA, on Tuesday, told, “We already have 25 hybrid taxis on trial since 2015, and we are all set to convert 200 taxis by the end of this year.”

Those who are new to hybrid tech must know that these vehicles run on both electric motor and combustion engine to maximize fuel efficiency and cut carbon emissions. A battery is connected to the electric motor giving it the power to propel on the road. The taxis are not plug-in hybrids, so they can’t be charged through an external source.

“The automatically recharged hybrid taxis significantly cut petrol consumption by 30 per cent and reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent as compared to normal cabs running on petrol.”

Al Jarwan also said, “These international benchmarks are strictly observed in both our taxi and bus fleet, with full observation of the global and European standardizations in terms of car and bus emissions.”