Butler Transit Authority leases CNG fueling station for public buses
The Butler Transit Authority agreed Tuesday to temporarily lease a compressed natural gas fueling station for its CNG-powered buses.
Authority board members unanimously voted to lease the station from Compass Natural Gas of Mechanicsburg for $7,212 a month, and to buy CNG from the company for $1.95 per gallon of gas equivalent.
Use of the station and the fuel will start late this week or next week, when the authority will begin using three CNG powered buses for city routes. The fourth city bus will be a traditional, diesel-powered unit.
The authority's buses log an average of between 190,000 and 210,000 passenger trips a year.
Construction of a permanent fueling station will begin in the spring, said John Paul, authority executive director.
CNG will fuel the buses used for the planned service to Pittsburgh.
The authority also tentatively approved three five-year contracts to open three park and ride locations, where people can park their vehicles and board buses, for the Pittsburgh service. The contracts were tentative pending solicitor Larry Lutz's review.
One park and ride would be located at the Evans City Pool and Park at EDCO Park. The authority would lease the site for $4,500 per year and pay Evans City $2,500 per year for snow removal. Evans City would provide a $3,500 match, Paul said.
A full story appears in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.
