JAKARTA - The Indonesia's government has set aside Rp 40 billion (US$434 million) for the promotion of the use of gas by public transport vehicles, Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said.

"In the initial stage, funds will be used to purchase converter kits that will be installed in public transportation vehicles," he said after the re-launching of the use of gas by public transportation at a gasoline station on Jalan Margonda, Depok, south of here.

The government, he said, would use the funds to provide public transportation operators with 4,000 gas converter kits.

Jakarta and East Java are two provinces where part of the public transportation fleets have begun to run on gas.

Hatta expressed optimism that with the planned distribution of converter kits, the government's effort to diversify energy sources would be successful.

The government raised the fuel oil price from Rp 2,400 to Rp 4,500 per liter last October whereas the gas price had reamined Rp 3,000 per liter.

Government efforts to diversify from fuel oil-based energy to gas energy failed until it raised the fuel oil price as the disparity between fuel oil and gas prices was only Rp 500 before last October.

"It is high time for public transportation to change from fuel oil to gas. We will later apply the same method to private cars," the minister said.

Hatta said it was thus the right time for the government to familiarize the public about the need to save fuel oil and to diversify from fuel oil to gas.

"Public transportation has not only consumed fuel oil too much but also turned into a source of hazardous pollution in big cities," he said.

A technical evaluation team has tried the efficiency of gas that can be used by public transportation, he said adding that all kinds and types of vehicles can use gas so long as they have the converter kit.

"If necessary, motorists can switch the converter kit if they want to use fuel oil again," he said.

Source: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HC04Ae01.html