The first buses using energy-efficient fuel in Vietnam made their debut in HCM City on August 26.

Twenty-one buses, which operate on compressed natural gas (CNG), are being used on one of the busiest stretches connecting downtown in District 1 and the Binh Tay market in District 5.

The green buses, commissioned by State-run Sai Gon Bus Company, were initially planned to be put on public routes on August 19.

The new buses were purchased as part of the city's drive to reduce air pollution, according to Le Trung Tinh, head of transport management for the city's Department of Transport.

Using CNG can save around 50 percent of fuel costs as compared to petrol and reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 35 percent, oxide by 62 percent, and carbon dioxide by 9 percent.

The head of ${bigcity_Ho_Chi_Minh_City:”Ho Chi Minh City”} University of Technology Transport Engineering, Pham Xuan Mai, said the CNG would save more than US$8.30 compared to the price of diesel.

CNG costs $318 per ton, which is 53.5 per cent of the price of petrol and 42 per cent of diesel.

HCM City estimates that 10,000 buses run by CNG would save the city more than $83 million each.

More than three years ago, the city began to replace buses using fossil fuels with those using CNG.

Two CNG-powered buses, one operated by Sai Gon Bus and the other by a private company, HCM City Transport Co-operatives Union, were tested beginning in May last year. State-run company Sai Gon Bus won approval to take part in the city's new bus system that will replace petrol with an energy-efficient fuel.

In five years, the city plans to have 1,680 CNG-fuelled buses. To accommodate the narrow streets of the city, the buses are also designed to be smaller than the ones currently in use.

The city has been improving the quality of bus service and facilities to attract more people to public transport, said Le Hai Phong, director of the city's Public Transport Management Center.

An additional 240 bus stations will be built by the end of the year, Phong said, and 54 bus information stations will be put into operation.