A total of 2227 buses in Guiyang's downtown area use clean energy as fuel, and 176 of these buses use methanol, Guiyang Daily has reported. The newspaper also said that 841 taxis out of a total of 6,600 in the city use methanol.

The Guiyang Public Transportation Group started a pilot program to use methanol as fuel in October 2010, and 1017 taxis and buses – one third of the total vehicles – use M85 (85% methanol) or M100 methanol fuel.

The company said that each taxi saves 900 yuan ($146.7) per month by using methanol fuel, and that it expects to save 38 million yuan in fuel costs per year - if all its vehicles use clean energy.

In recent years, Guiyang has strived to develop low-carbon transportation, with the aim of transforming its development pattern and to become an ecological progress demonstration city. Compared with traditional gasoline and diesel, the use of methanol fuel helps to reduce PM 2.5 particulates by 50 percent, and nitrous oxides by 20 percent.

"Methanol fuel is a clean and eco-friendly new energy", said a Guiyang official, who added that its wide use would advance the city's ecological efforts.

Edited by Zhao Qian and Niva Whyman