DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has launched a pilot project aimed at making public transportation in the country more eco-friendly. UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum announced the project aimed to develop bio-diesel for buses in the country as well as a national railway plan, a car pooling project, pedestrian bridges and a bicycle race course, his office said in a statement. The government hopes that the bus project can get off the ground and be successful. The initial phase will run for 6-months, after which the country could add more buses to the fleet. It is part of the new Middle East and North Africa Transportation Excellence Center, also officially launched by the sheikh this week, to push forward on new greener technologies for the country as it battles pollution and a rise in carbon emissions. The buses will not only run on a bio-diesel engine, they will be equipped with solar-powered LED lighting system and will also run on recycled tires. “At RTA we are always looking for innovative green modes of transport and the buses that we use for public transport are very eco-friendly. Our buses are 10 times less polluting but with the introduction of bio-diesel it will further improve," said Eisa Abdurrahman Al Dosari, CEO of RTA's Public Transport Agency.