[sustran] Re: Bus purchase help needed [in Mauritius]
szimmerman at worldbank.org
szimmerman at worldbank.org
Thu Apr 17 10:50:33 JST 2008
An image of a Chinese bus of the type that was fueled with low pressure biogas
(product of pig manure digestion at communal farms). Note gas bag instead of
high pressure tanks on roof. S
(See attached file: chinagas.jpg)
Sam Zimmerman
Senior Urban Transport Specialist
Energy, Transport, Water Dept.
1818 H Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20433
Phone Numbers:
Office: (202) 473-5399
Mobile: (703) 835-4124
Please visit the World Bank Urban Transport website @:
http://www.worldbank.org/urbantransport
"Todd Edelman,
Green Idea Factory"
<edelman at greenidea. To
eu> Walter Hook <whook at itdp.org>
cc
04/16/2008 11:31 AM 'Jonathan Richmond'
<richmond at alum.mit.edu>,
UTSG at JISCMAIL.AC.UK, 'Sustran List'
Please respond to <Sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>,
edelman at greenidea.e 'PLANET'
u <PLANET at listserv.BUFFALO.EDU>,
szimmerman at worldbank.org,
iclei-africa at iclei.org,
philippe_attey at yahoo.fr,
uatp at uitp.com, POURBAIX Jerome
<jerome.pourbaix at uitp.com>
Subject
Re: [sustran] Re: Bus purchase help
needed [in Mauritius]
Hi Jonathan,
Your specifications mention nothing about type of engine/fuel source.
What Walter said is true, but if you get all those things right what is
the point if the fuel prices make the resulting ticket unaffordable
and/or make it less interesting in comparison into a car?
Both your Ministry and the NTC are members of UITP, and I am wondering
if you have discussed fuel sources with them. Also, Moka Flacq plus
Pamplemousses and Riviere du Rempart are members of ICLEI and might be
able to get some advice or assistance and information about best
practice from them. ICLEI, at least in Europe, is involved in a biofuel
project. See www.biofuel-cities.eu <http://www.biofuel-cities.eu>
I personally favour biogas from waste. Maybe you know all about it -- if
so please forgive the following. If you have the proper and right
mixture of feedstock for it (agricultural and household waste, sewerage
waste, etc.) and can get it to a biogas reactor easily, then it could be
the way to go. Start up costs are certainly higher than with petrol
Diesel (the reactors plus the buses) but you will have a lot more
control of and be able to predict fuel prices and availability then with
petrol products. It seems to me like an island would like to have energy
independence.
There are several European biogas projects right now, such as
www.biogasmax.com, but you can also just Google for biogas and
transport. Most of the projects you will find involve small consumer
biogas projects for cooking to larger scale projects for making
electricity. For transport, biogas is more efficient if used for making
electricity, but if you don't have electric vehicles...
There also might be some EU projects which Mauritius can join, but it
seems you might be working for a solution in the near-term. The GDP of
your island is high in relation to the rest of Africa; you know better
than I if you are a target country for development assistance. Sweden
and also Germany are quite active in biogas development, especially
Sweden for biogas buses.
Let me know offlist if you want some more info. As you can see I have
copied this email to people at ICLEI and UITP (again, please forgive me
if it is redundant information).
Kind regards,
T
Walter Hook wrote:
> As this is a straight public sector bus procurement, you should check with
> someone at FTA or with FTA experience. I am cc'ing sam Zimmerman now at the
> world bank who might have a better idea. Certainly close dialog with the
> operators is critical to understand the specific bus needs of the drive
> cycle in Marituius, not sure what your roads are like or how low floor will
> perform in those conditions. Certainly tests for anything new should be
> done.
>
> The track record for bus maintenance for public transport authorities in
> Africa is pretty weak, security of the fleet from spare part theft,
> contracts w/ the manufacturer for ongoing maintenance, perhaps contracting
> out operations, with liability for the vehicle passing on to the operator,
> etc, I should think are more serious concerns than the bus procurement
> itself.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org
> [mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+whook=itdp.org at list.jca.apc.org] On Behalf
> Of Jonathan Richmond
> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 5:20 AM
> To: UTSG at JISCMAIL.AC.UK; Sustran List; PLANET
> Subject: [sustran] Bus purchase help needed
>
>
> Sorry to bother the more academic members of these lists, but I have been
> grateful for some wonderfully helpful suggestions when posing previous
> practical questions here -- so, here goes again!
>
> I need some help over bus purchases. The bus fleet here in Mauritius is of
> very low quality: almost entirely with high floors, many steps to climb,
> only one door -- slowing down entry and exit -- and no aircon.
>
> We are looking at ways to replace the total public and private sector
> fleets of 2500 buses and are planning to do an initial procurement
> exercise for the public bus company, National Transport Corporation,
> ordering perhaps one hundred buses.
>
> We do not have the necessary expertise in writing the tender documents or
> supervising the tender process. We are therefore using a fast-track tender
> process to invite proposals to help us with this.
>
>
> The requirements are:
>
> Conduct a brief analysis of operating requirements of Mauritius bus
> operators and bus specifications required by the regulatory system
>
> Design a technical specification for low-floor, airconditioned
buses
> that
> includes bus body specification, air con specification and
passenger
> safety.
>
> Finalize tender documents for procurement exercise.
>
> Provide a detailed study on the proposals submitted from each
> tenderer,
> with recommendations.
>
> Maintain contuct with tender winner to ensure prototype bus meeds
> agreed
> specifications.
>
> Conduct acceptance test before serial production.
>
> Develop maintenance regimes and design and deliver maintenane
> handbook.
>
> Develop and implement essential training programs on maintenance.
>
>
> The budget limit for fast-track tendering is 5 million Maurituan rs.
> (US $193,800). All costs, inclusing cost of travel must be included in a
> proposal that is no more than this amount.
>
> If any of you are qualified and interested to do this, please do get in
> touch. Also, if you know others who might be interested, please pass this
> on to them.
>
> Many thanks!!!
>
> --Jonathan!
>
> -----
> Jonathan Richmond
> Transport Adviser to the Government of Mauritius
> Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping
> New Government Centre, Level 4
> Port Louis
> Mauritius
>
> +230 707-1134 (Mauritius mobile: most reliable way to reach me)
>
> +1 (617) 395-4360 (US phone number rings at home -- call me in
> Mauritius for the price of a call to the US).
>
> +44 (0)7978 807532 (UK mobile number, connects to mobile phone when in
> wifi zone, or goes to voice mail). This is also a SIP number. If you
> have a SIP phone you can reach me by dialing: sip:447978807532 at truphone.com
>
> e-mail: richmond at alum.mit.edu
> http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/
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