Seoul kicked off a pilot run of electric city buses Thursday. Twenty-nine electric buses are to replace compressed natural gas-powered buses by the end of this year.

The first electric bus was deployed on bus route No. 1711, running through central Seoul. Nine other buses on the No. 1711 service route will be replaced by electric buses next Tuesday.

The 29 electric buses have been manufactured by Hyundai Motor and Edison Motors of South Korea and China’s Higer Bus.

The battery-operated buses will replace aged buses that have been in service for nine to 11 years, as part of the city’s measures to reduce the fine dust level in the metropolitan area. White lines on the sides of buses will indicate they are battery operated.

Electric buses are considered to be more eco-friendly than CNG buses, as they do not emit any air pollutants such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen oxide. The city government said all electric buses will be low-floored, making the ride more convenient for the elderly and disabled passengers.

Seoul is to replace 3,000 more buses with battery-operated buses by 2025.

By Choi Ji-won (jwchoikr@heraldcorp.com)