THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2013

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones presided at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueled buses on Aug. 1, at the GRTC Transit System Maintenance Facility on East Belt Boulevard. Following the ribbon cutting, the bus carried the Mayor back to City Hall.

In 2011, the Mayor’s Office met with GRTC officials about the benefits of transitioning the bus fleet to CNG fueled vehicles as retired buses were replaced. The benefits included significantly reduced fuel costs, improved air quality, and reduced noise pollution. GRTC initiated the procedure to replace vehicles, as they were retired from the fleet, with new CNG fueled vehicles for both its paratransit and fixed route services.

In early July 2013, GRTC received its first shipment of 8 CNG buses, with plans for an additional 21 to arrive at the end of the year. GRTC already has 15 CNG paratransit vans that have been in service since November 2012, and has 15 additional vans on order.

To support the transition to CNG fueled vehicles, GRTC’s maintenance and fueling facilities are being modified to accommodate CNG vehicles. A new CNG fueling station that will be located at the GRTC facility is scheduled to break ground in October 2013.

Meanwhile, at Richmond International Airport, nine CNG shuttle buses were put into service on Aug. 8 to carry customers from the terminal to the economy parking facilities, and a CNG fueling station was built on airport property.