(Target ng DOTr) ELECTRIC FERRIES

TARGET ng Department of Transportation (DOTr) na ipakilala ang electric ferries bilang bago at mas mapananatiling moda ng transportasyon.

Sinabi ni DOTr Assistant Secretary Leo De Velez sa sidelines ng Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum na nakikipag-usap ang ahensiya sa  potential shipyards para sa electric ferries, at pinag-aaralan ang posibleng energy source para sa electrification initiative.

Ayon kay De Velez, kasalukuyan ding pinag-aaralan ng  Asian Development Bank (ADB) kung paano ito makatutulong sa pagtustos sa programa.

Ilang halimbawa ng nagawa nila sa ibang bansa ay tinustusan nila ang ship vessels.

 “They did this also in Bangkok. The ADB lent the private company money to buy and build new electric ferries to serve the river. This is one of the possible areas that ADB is exploring,” aniya.

Ayon pa kay De Velez, nagsimula nang mag-invest pa ang DOTr sa maritime infrastructure, partikular sa nautical highways at  ports.

“Similar to how we did mass investments in our railway infrastructure, with our subway, with our North-South Commuter Railway, we’re looking at similar amounts of investment in our maritime infrastructure,” aniya.

Samantala, inaasahan ng DOTr na matapos ngayong taon ang pag-aaral nito sa  viability ng Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake ferry system.

Pagkatapos ay plano nitong i-bid out ang proyekto bilang Public Private Partnership program sa 2025.

“Before we make important infrastructure investments similar to our railways and airports, we need to conduct passenger surveys. It all stems from the demand It all starts from how many people will be using the ferry system,” ani De Velez.