The E Noa Corporation, a longtime, locally-owned tour and transportation company, today announced that two electric buses will join its fleet of 40 buses and 80 trolleys. A blessing ceremony will be held this afternoon.

The open-air electric buses, manufactured by BYD, will provide daily shuttle service between Ala Moana Center and the DFS Galleria in Waikiki exclusively for All Nippon Airways Mileage Club members.

They will run every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“Reducing our company’s carbon footprint is a priority for us,” said Maki Kuroda, E Noa Corp. president and CEO, in a news release. “As a local company, we understand the critical need for us to not just say we support the state’s Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative and the county’s goal to have Hawaii’s ground transportation achieve 100 percent renewable fuel sources by 2045, but to actually do something about it.”

Although the electric buses cost more, Kuroda said the investment was needed to ensure a clean energy future for Hawaii, and that the company looks forward to continuing to grow its electric bus fleet.

The 35-foot-long electric buses can accommodate 47 passengers each, and travel up to 150 miles per charge. With a battery capacity of 352 kilowatt hours, they are expected to save about 18,581 gallons of gas from being consumed per year, according to E Noa Corp.

They also feature ANA’s flying honu design to complement the airline’s new Airbus 380, which began service between Honolulu and Tokyo in May.

“We are excited to be the first private company to operate BYD electric buses in Hawaii,” said Kuroda.