“The growing number of tourists annually requires a unique environmental program for the city that includes mobility management and efficient energy resource planning of transport networks,” Elirose Suarez, associate director at Sou Ching, said.

Suarez said the ticket cost had yet to be determined, but she expected the buses to be on the road in the first quarter of 2015, once the green light was given by local authorities.

With a price tag of $23,000 each, the new buses are fitted with solar panels on their roof tops to help charge their batteries. Charging stations that store replacement batteries, which are also charged through solar panels, are placed along bus routes for a quick change-over when the battery runs low.

“These buses are solar-electric; no petrol required. No oil, none of these associated costs, so the running costs of this fleet are much more commercially viable than regular public transport,” Star8 managing director Jacob Maimon said.