BEIRUT — Zahle's new bus drivers aren't worried about getting attacked, despite Beirut's first public buses in years getting vandalized and their passengers harassed on their first day of operation last week.

On June 27, Zahle became the first Lebanese city to start testing out eco-friendly hybrid buses for public transportation. "The people support this project, they won't hurt it," said Fouad Eli Shaaya, a city employee involved in the project and working at the new bus station. "People are with us, not against us."

The municipality has known for years that Zahle, the largest city in the Beqaa, has a pollution problem. Despite there being no factories, the city’s air pollution levels are significantly elevated, said Zahle mayor Assaad Zgheib.

This is corroborated in 2022 report that found that Zahle's air quality only reached "satisfactory" levels for 16 percent of the days in a year-and-a-half testing period. 

The problem is thought to come from vehicle exhaust — it is common for one household in Zahle to own up to four or five vehicles.

According to Shaaya, the hope is also that introducing eco-friendly public transport will decrease the number of cars, vans and tuk-tuks in the city.

EU development project brings in Zahle buses

L’Orient Today visited the station, located near the Zahle roundabout, where four new hybrid electric buses were parked outside. The buses arrived in the city last year and a three-month trial run was started on June 27 to work out the buses’ routes and schedule and to note the number of riders.

This trial serves to prepare the "project's terms and conditions," which are not yet finalized, Shaaya said.

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The project is part of a program called the "Local Development Program along the Litani River Basin" (LRB), funded by the European Union and implemented by the Economic and Social Fund for Development (ESFD). ESFD is an institution managed by the Council for Development and Reconstruction, which is a Lebanese governmental organization.

According to the EU, the LRB program aims to address the "negative effects of the degradation of natural resources in the Litani River basin and the deterioration of the living conditions of local communities in this geographic region."A new sign reading "bus stop" in Zahle following the introduction of four new hyrbrid buses. (Credit: Romy Abu Fadel/L'Orient Today)

Since the Litani River passes near Zahle and due to the high concentration of pollution in the area, Zahle's eco-friendly hybrid buses became part of the program.

The hybrid bus project is a way of "helping the citizens" through the dual initiative of providing cost-friendly transportation and protecting the environment, Zgheib said.

New buses, new standards, new speed limits

The buses, with their modern design and equipt interior, have air conditioning, a 100-person capacity and include an accessible area for persons with disabilities.

To leave the bus, passengers press a button that says "stop," compared to when using Lebanon’s network of private vans, where passengers call to the driver to be let down anywhere along the route.

According to Shaaya, bus drivers are not allowed to exceed 25 kilometers per hour, a significant standard to set in a country where van operators are known not to adhere to speed limits — which are also generally not enforced.

The view from up front in one of Zahle's new eco-friendly hybrid buses. (Credit: Romy Abu Fadel/L'Orient Today)

In addition to running partially on electricity, the buses use AdBlue, Shaaya explained, which is a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) mixture that reduces Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) by turning it into nitrogen and water. NOx is a gas that can damage the human respiratory system and increase a person's vulnerability to respiratory infections.

Zgheib, Zahle’s mayor, said that the buses use "Euro 6 diesel, the highest standard of diesel in Europe." Euro 6 was introduced in 2015. Euro 7, which will restrict NOx emissions further, is set to be released in July 2025.

About twenty minutes into taking L’Orient Today’s reporters on a test ride, the bus picked up a young boy and a woman in her seventies named Salwa — her first time using the buses as well. She told her fellow passengers that she is very happy about the new project, that it’s much better than using taxis, and that she plans on taking the bus on a daily basis.

Inside one of Zahle's new hybrid buses, part of a project funded by the EU for development in the Litani River Basin. (Credit: Romy Abu Fadel/L'Orient Today)

Affordable fares and discounted tickets

The mayor said that the number of people using the buses is “increasing every week," as more and more people become aware of the project.

Bus fares are LL70,000 per ride, which amounts to less than a dollar, and day tickets can be purchased for LL150,000. These all-day tickets can be used by more than one person; meaning that a person ride the bus and then pass their ticket along to someone else. Zgheib added that "people with disabilities and the elderly can get free tickets and there are also discounts for students."

There are two different bus routes planned. One goes from the Zahle roundabout to the area of Bardawni and another one goes from the Ksara roundabout to the roundabout of Hamra Plaza in the village of Karak Nouh. Both routes are operational from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, the second one is not operational now, according to Shaaya, since its primary purpose is to shuttle students, and schools are closed for the summer.

Public buses have been largely absent from Lebanon’s transportation system. An informal network of privately owned vans and buses constitutes the closest thing to public transit, operating within cities and connecting various areas of Lebanon. However, last Wednesday, a route between Nahr al-Mott and the Military Bath in Beirut (re)opened using public buses.