Residents in Yibin, Sichuan, have reported a shortage of natural gas for vehicles, leading to significant disruptions in public transportation services. Commuters have expressed frustration over long waiting times for buses, which have become increasingly unreliable.

On-site Situation: Two Major Stations Halted, Bus Delays Due to Fuel Shortage

At 6 p.m. on a recent day, the West District refueling and charging station in Xuzhou District, Yibin, was operating two gas dispensers. Four vehicles, including three buses and a van, were being serviced, with four more buses waiting in line. A queue of over ten vehicles extended from the station to a nearby intersection.

A bus driver surnamed Lei, waiting in line, explained that he previously refueled at stations in Lingang and Jiangbei. However, the Lingang station closed about a month ago, followed by the Jiangbei station at the end of May, forcing him to use the West District station. "Since June 1st, even the West District station has been experiencing gas shortages," he said. "What used to take an hour at most now takes much longer, and you might not even get a full tank." He noted that only the West District and Tianchi stations are now operating normally out of the city's four main stations, leading to daily long queues.

Another driver, surnamed Li, had been waiting since 3 p.m. and finally refueled after more than three hours. He stated that queues that previously took half an hour after work now take several hours, with the risk of stations running out of gas if drivers arrive late. This shortage has directly impacted bus schedules. Normally, buses depart every 6 to 10 minutes, but recently, intervals have stretched to 40 minutes or even an hour due to a lack of fuel. On a recent evening, a bus scheduled for 9:40 p.m. could not depart due to no fuel, forcing an earlier 9:10 p.m. bus to extend its service.

Root Causes: Aging Equipment and Price Inversion Lead to Daily Shortfall

What is causing this sudden refueling crisis? Yibin's main urban area has four Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations, operated by two companies. The Jiangbei station, operated by Yibin Tianke New Energy Development Co., Ltd., was shut down at the end of May due to severely aging equipment posing safety risks. The Lingang station, run by Yibin Jiyuan Development Co., Ltd., has suspended operations due to operational difficulties.

The two remaining stations, Tianchi and West District, now supply approximately 35,000 cubic meters of gas daily. However, the daily demand from buses, taxis, and other vehicles in Yibin is around 50,000 cubic meters, creating a daily shortfall of about 15,000 cubic meters. This situation has been exacerbated over the last one to two months as several privately-owned stations in surrounding counties have also closed due to profitability issues.

An industry insider explained that while aging equipment is a factor, the core issue is a price inversion. The procurement price for CNG, influenced by international market fluctuations, has recently risen to around 4 yuan per cubic meter. However, the retail selling price, regulated by the municipal government, remains below 3.3 yuan per cubic meter, making supply economically unsustainable for stations. A station worker noted, "If the source price continues to rise, supply disruptions will worsen. It's not that we don't want to supply; we can't afford to."

Compounding the problem, a recent vehicle accident on an upstream transport route caused a road closure, leading to severe congestion and preventing CNG transport trucks from delivering fuel, further straining the already tight supply.

Proposed Solutions: Short-Term Subsidies and Long-Term Shift to Electric Vehicles

Authorities and gas companies in Yibin are working on multiple solutions to address the crisis. The immediate priority is to minimize queues and prevent service stoppages for public transport vehicles.

Officials from the Yibin Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau stated they are coordinating with the Transportation Bureau to establish green channels or dedicated refueling periods to prioritize buses and taxis, ensuring basic public mobility needs are met first given the overall shortage.

Concurrently, the two departments have submitted a request to the Yibin Development and Reform Commission for a temporary price adjustment. This measure aims to alleviate the financial losses at stations by allowing a phased increase in the selling price, preventing further closures. Currently, efforts involve coordinating government subsidies or having the bus company provide subsidies to negotiate continued supply with the stations.

A representative from the Yibin Public Transport Company stated they are optimizing vehicle deployment and routes to prioritize operations during peak hours and on main lines to ensure citizen commutes.

A representative from Yibin Tianke New Energy Development Co., Ltd. said the company is actively engaging with gas suppliers. Efforts include increasing the number of transport vehicles to mitigate the impact of the recent road accident and seeking new supply channels to minimize disruptions. Drivers of taxis and buses can now join customer groups for the Tianchi and West District stations to receive real-time updates on fuel arrival times and queue lengths, helping them plan their refueling more efficiently.

Officials from the Yibin Transportation Bureau noted that CNG use for vehicles is no longer encouraged under national energy policy. Yibin currently has about 230 buses and over 100 taxis that still rely on CNG. According to a new energy vehicle replacement plan, these vehicles are expected to be fully replaced with electric vehicles within two years. This transition would significantly reduce CNG demand, potentially resolving the travel issues caused by the "refueling difficulty" at its root.