Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on 30 October that 26 city buses converted from diesel to natural gas have started carrying passengers in Addis Ababa. They are the first public buses in Ethiopia to run on domestic gas, and the government plans to add 400 more. The city began converting its diesel fleet this year, drawing on gas from the Ogaden basin in the Somali Region, where a Chinese-built liquefaction plant at Calub opened in October 2025. The switch could cut bus operating costs, which the government says will allow fares to fall by half, and reduce diesel imports. A wider rollout depends on more refuelling stations and steady gas supply from the Ogaden fields.
Sources
- Capital Ethiopia: https://capitalethiopia.com/2026/10/30/ethiopia-launches-gas-powered-buses-in-bid-to-cut-transport-costs-and-fuel-imports/
- Birr Metrics: https://birrmetrics.com/city-admin-deploys-26-natural-gas-buses/
- Kana TV: https://kanatelevision.com/news/addis-is-converting-2-000-diesel-buses-to-run-on-ethiopian-gas/