Dick Jarrold, the KCATA’s vice president of regional planning and development, KCATA Board Chairman Robbie Makinen, and Interim General Manager Sam Desue highlight the savings KCATA will see with the transition to CNG fueled buses. Photo courtesy KCATA.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) celebrated the opening of its compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station yesterday.
“The move from diesel fuel to CNG will result in cleaner air, and significant cost savings,” said Dick Jarrold, KCATA Vice President of Regional Planning & Development, in a press release.
According to the transit agency, using compressed natural gas instead of diesel fuel could save up to $500,000 in 2015.
The ATA says the CNG fueling station is the largest fast-fill station in Missouri and the Kansas City region. The station allows buses to be fueled in less than seven minutes, and will allow KCATA to fill more than 200 buses nightly. The agency currently has 17 CNG buses in its fleet with eight more arriving next month.
CNG vehicles are being phased in as current buses are retired. The station cost $3.2 million to build; eighty percent of the cost was provided by the federal Urbanized Area Formula Grant Program.
Who’s talking