A Kaze Shuttle bus in Binh Duong city. The bus runs on compressed natural gas which is reportedly a "green" and environment-friendly fuel. — Photo becamex-tokyu.com

BINH DUONG (Biz Hub) — The Kaze Shuttle buses, or green buses, started their operations in the southern city of Binh Duong on December 18, news website dddn.com.vn reported.

The buses meet Japanese standards for shuttle buses and are installed with five cameras to supervise the bus drivers and passengers. Therefore, there is no need for a bus driver's assistant.

In addition, passengers have the option of using either magnetic cards or buying tickets with cash.

The buses run on compressed natural gas (CNG), which is reportedly a "green" and environment-friendly fuel.

The new bus line connects Thu Dau Mot city and Binh Duong city. The bus fare is VND5,000 (US$0.2) for students and VND10,000 ($0.4) for others for the entire route.

The high-quality buses are a VND40-billion ($1.9 million) investment venture by the Becamex Tokyu company, a joint venture between the Investment and Industrial Development Corporation (Becamex IDC) and the Japanese Tokyu Corporation, to meet the transportation needs in the province.

Nakata Yasuyuki, Becamex Tokyu's general director, explained to ddnn.com that "kaze" means wind in Japanese and the bus service will be a breeze passing through the city, providing quick and safe journey to commuters. He said that the buses will run punctually as per the timetable, and that the bus drivers have received training in safe driving and polite behaviour towards passengers.

The Kaze Shuttle is the second CNG bus project in Viet Nam, following the CNG bus services introduced in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011. — VNS