Transition to Compressed Natural Gas Rickshaws for Urban Mobility: a Case of Dar es Salaam City

Abstract

In Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, rickshaws are chiefly employed as taxis in short distant trips. However, due to increased demand and urban traffic congestion, rickshaws have become a major source of pollution in the city. Despite the abundance of natural gas in Dar-es-Salaam, there are no commercially successful compressed natural gas (CNG) rickshaws available to reduce tailpipe emissions. This study evaluates the feasibility of transition to CNG rickshaws by estimating the fuel and environmental savings. The results reveal that by shifting from petrol to CNG, it is possible to save 54.38 Tshs/km, 6,965 Tshs/day and 2,507,410 Tshs per year, with a payback distance of 17,849.2km. The estimated annual savings, CNG requirement, and PM2.5 emissions are 125.37 billion Tshs, 100 million tonne, and 102 tonne, respectively. The study suggests that CNG 4-stroke rickshaws be prioritized due to their superior attributes such as lower fuel consumption, lower fuel costs, and environmental friendliness.