TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan City will add 10 new electric buses, raising the share of electric vehicles in its public fleet to more than 25%.

The new buses, Foxtron Vehicle Technologies’ Model T, are scheduled to be fully operational by the end of September. Once in service, Tainan will have 125 electric buses, per CNA.

The fleet will operate on major routes along the brown and yellow lines in Xinying, Yanshui, Baihe, and Liuying districts. Four buses began service on Saturday.

Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) has promoted low-carbon initiatives for public transportation, aligning with the central government’s goal of fully electrifying urban bus fleets by 2030. Tainan has ended subsidies for diesel buses, requiring operators to gradually replace older vehicles with electric models.

Bureau of Transportation Director-General Wang Ming-te (王銘德) said operators must conduct fire drills before new buses enter service. Local fire departments and the manufacturer staged exercises simulating electric bus fires, emergency evacuations, and accident responses to ensure driver readiness and passenger safety.

Taiwan aims to have 11,700 fully electric urban buses by 2030 as part of broader efforts to promote low-carbon living and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Replacing diesel buses with electric models is expected to cut carbon emissions and reduce pollutants such as PM2.5 and PM10, according to Automan Magazine.