ComfortDelGro pledges to go green and cut emissions

Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 26 Nov 07

TRANSPORT group ComfortDelGro - which has a fleet of more than 40,000 vehicles - has become the latest to pledge to reduce its carbon footprint.

The mainboard-listed company is due to issue a 'Green Statement' today that will see it streamlining its worldwide transport operations in order to reduce its carbon emissions and their impact on the environment.

Among the targets in the company's new green charter is a drive to reduce its emissions for each kilometre that a passenger travels.

ComfortDelGro also aims to minimise waste output and increase recycling, encourage greater use of public transport and support research into alternative fuels such as biofuels.

A new green committee, made up of three department heads, will lead the group's new efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its global fleet of 41,000 vehicles, which operate in seven countries in Europe and Asia.

The transport sector typically accounts for the bulk of a country's carbon emissions, alongside energy-intensive industries.

Group corporate communications officer Tammy Tan said: 'We want to articulate clearly what we stand for and what we want to achieve, partly to spur others to do the same and to inculcate a sense of environmental awareness among our staff.'

She added: 'However, a complete elimination of harmful emissions is not possible, and we will explore how best we can offset any negative impact we have on the environment.'

The company runs about 15,000 taxis, 3,200 buses and 1,600 rental cars. Last year, about 2,600 taxis were converted to engines that comply with Euro IV emission standards.

SBS Transit, a unit of ComfortDelGro, has placed an order for 500 Euro IV buses this year, and Singapore's first Euro IV bus will ply the roads this month.

In Europe, most of ComfortDelGro's vehicles run on low-emission diesel.

Going green helps the bottom line, the company confirms. It saves $300,000 a year just by regulating the air-conditioning at its stations. Also, it recycles the water used for washing its bus fleets; the dirt is filtered out in a recycling tank before the water is used for the next wash.

Other local transport firms, though much smaller, are also playing a part.

Taxi operator Prime Leasing, for example, operates an environmentally friendly fleet that runs on compressed natural gas.

Public transport user Ms Lynne Huang, a 25-year-old teacher, said it was encouraging that transport companies were taking steps to mitigate their environmental impact.

However, she added: 'If we want faster results, some government enforcement or more incentives can be provided to push the industry towards adopting vehicles with much lower emission levels.'