MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City (QC) Mayor Herbert Bautista drove one of two e-tricycles developed by the Kasangga Party-list and Netherlands-based Technostrat Design and Research Corporation inside the city hall compound.

After testing e-jeepneys, the Quezon City government is studying the feasibility of e-tricycles or e-trikes that may help complement the city’s environmental protection against exhaust and noise pollution.

Bautista drove one of the vehicles during a test run at the city hall grounds shortly after signing a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with project proponents for the implementation of the e-tricycle project in Quezon City.

Stylish and comfortable, the e-tricyles will be offered to the Payatas and La Vista tricycle operators and drivers associations for a two-month pilot testing as the two areas offer more challenge to the e-trikes because of their terrain.

The city’s department of public order and safety, through its tricycle regulatory unit, will ascertain the road worthiness of the e-tricycles.

DPOS chief Elmo San Diego will closely coordinate with the pollution control unit of the city’s environmental protection and waste management department to ensure the issuance of environmental clearance certification upon the successful testing of the project.

The project designer said the e-trike which cost P117,000 per unit can travel from 100 to 130 kilometers on single charge and can accommodate four persons.

Fares are similar to the amount charged by operators of regular tricycles with four- and two-stroke engines.

It takes about eight hours to re-charge the e-trikes at the solar-powered charging stations using 2,500-watt structural tiles and assisted by a wind turbine.

While the price tag for the eco-friendly trikes is more or less equal to that of the combustion-powered tricycles, the Technostrat-made transport utilities are cheaper to operate.

A Technostrat tricycle’s operating cost per day is only P48 compared to the P200-plus operational cost when using two-stroke engines.

Technostrat was represented by its president, Brian Stanley Jackson during the presentation of the e-tricycle project while the Ang Kasangga Party-list was represented by Rep. Teodorico Haresco, whose group also agreed to assist potential buyers on funding requirements.

According to a study, an average combustion tricycle in Quezon City emits as much pollution as 70 cars.

Given the more than 20,000 tricycles plying the roads of Quezon City, the extent of pollution is equivalent to 1.4 million cars.

During the presentation of the e-tricycle project, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city is open to the possibility of allowing the use of renewable energy and green technologies for the city’s transport sector to mitigate the ill-effects of pollution to public health and safety.

Project partners for the e-tricycle project also include Winace Holdings Philippines.

Meanwhile, Quezon City residents will get a 50 percent discount for the first screening of movies tomorrow in some theaters in the city on the occasion of Mayor Bautista’s birthday anniversary.

Residents are only required to present valid identification cards to verify they are residents to avail themselves of the special treat at theaters at SM Fairview, Centerpoint, North and Cubao, the Trinoma, Eastwood, Gateway, Ali Mall, Waltermart, and Robinsons Fairview.

However, the following cinemas which are members of the National Cinema Association of the Philippines (NCAP), explained that the price cut does not count films shown on IMAX theaters and for 3D movies.

Various socio-civic activities like job and trade fairs, and free medical and wellness services for city hall employees are also being held.

Magno Abella, head of the city’s public employment service office, coordinated the one-day job fair yesterday at the Quezon City Hall Plaza.

The trade fair was undertaken by the cultural and tourism affairs office. (With IG)