Electric buses will start operating throughout Barbados ‘by year-end’, said Minister of Energy Wilfred Abrahams.
Initially, the Ministry of Transport will order twenty buses and work towards an all-electric fleet of government vehicles over the next 11 years. Minister Abrahams said, “We are moving to a completely electric fleet not just of buses but Government vehicles as it is our commitment under our 2030 plan and we have to do it.”
The Energy Minister indicated the government was working on battery charging infrastructure policies, and plans to train mechanics and incentivise consumers to buy electric vehicles. However, he added, full implementation of these plans may be constrained by the current IMF-sanctioned austerity programme.
“The Ministry of Education is pushing to train persons at the vocational sector. We are trying to incentivise mechanics to take this on as it is going to open a new avenue for electricians in Barbados. These things are not impediments as they are new possibilities,” Abrahams said.
