Suppliers from all over the world have been asked to come up with proposals for a greener bus service for the island.

A request for information was issued last week to ask for suggestions for new buses in an attempt to improve the environment, cut costs and improve the quality of service.

It said the Government and Rocky Mountain Institute’s agreement was to “investigate and transition Bermuda’s public bus transportation system to energy efficient, low emissions technology”.

The RFI was published to gauge interest from bus sellers and manufacturers that could supply clean diesel, hybrid or electric public buses.

A spokesman for the tourism and transport ministry said this week: “The recently released RFI is soliciting information from the global bus market to understand the availability of buses to meet Bermuda’s needs, including size, climate, performance, emissions and cost.

“Responses to the RFI will guide the Department of Public Transportation’s strategy towards future bus purchases.”

He explained that the Government and RMI were assessing the feasibility of moving to an all-electric public bus service.

The spokesman added: “In order to determine the technical and economic practicalities of this transition, the assessment will compare low-emissions, ultra-low emissions and zero-emissions options such as Euro 6 diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and full electric vehicles.”

Euro 6 is a standard set by the European Union to help cut the level of pollutants produced by new vehicles.

The RFI said: “In an effort to improve local air quality, cost and the quality of service, DPT seeks to replace its existing buses with more efficient, cleaner-running vehicles.”

“Interested parties were given background information about the island’s buses and schedule.

They were told about 65 per cent of the 98 vehicles were more than ten years old and had exceeded their planned service life.

The RFI added: “Reliability is compromised by the ageing fleet and the DPT has embarked on a fleet replacement programme to reduce the average age of the fleet and restore reliability.”

It said a bus could be driven anywhere from 180km to 270km over the course of an 18-hour day.

The RFI said: “Bermuda has a number of specific vehicle requirements that are the result of its unique infrastructure and climate, which require a narrow chassis, right-hand drive, and high-performance air conditioning.”

It was posted under procurement notices on the government website with a submission deadline of February 15.

The Government signed a memorandum of understanding with Rocky Mountain Institute, a United States-based sustainability organisation, last November with a view to the introduction of an electric bus fleet.

Environmental charities backed the partnership with RMI. The Government said then that the joint effort would develop a plan for an electric bus fleet “that will lay the groundwork for a full transition of the transportation sector to electric vehicles”. A second project was to look at renewable energy projects and how to create a stronger power supply network.

Justin Locke, director of the Islands Energy Programme at RMI, explained later that the move was driven by economics.

He said that capital investment for electric buses was higher than for diesel buses, but when maintenance and fuel costs were factored in, “over time, it’s a lower-cost investment”.