January 8, 2008

Click here to return to the Transportation Update.

Natural Gas Buses Now in Service

OCTA has 50 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses from the New Flyer Corporation now in service. The CNG buses will be used to replace older diesel buses and to expand OCTA's bus fleet, especially as rising gas prices help to boost demand for public transit. The new CNG buses will be delivered in stages during 2008 and 2009. OCTA is ultimately adding 299 new CNG buses. OCTA’s fleet currently has 591 large buses as of December 2007.

CNG Reduces Emissions

Tailpipe emissions from gasoline operated vehicles release carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. These emissions are greatly reduced with natural gas. CNG is the cleanest burning fuel operating today. CNG vehicles produce the fewest emissions of any motor fuel. CNG vehicles also have little or no emissions during fueling. In gasoline vehicles, fueling emissions account for at least 50% of a vehicle's total hydrocarbon emissions.

CNG Reduces Maintenance

For a large bus fleet, CNG vehicles can reduce vehicle maintenance and prolong engine life. Some fleet operators have reduced maintenance costs by as much as 40% by converting their vehicles to CNG. Intervals between tune-ups for natural gas vehicles are extended 30,000 to 50,000 miles. Intervals between oil changes for natural gas vehicles are extended dramatically--anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 additional miles depending on how the vehicle is used. Natural gas does not react to metals the way gasoline does, so pipes and mufflers last much longer as well.

CNG Boosts Performance

Natural gas gives the same mileage as gasoline in a converted vehicle. However, dedicated CNG engines are superior in performance to gasoline engines.

CNG has an octane rating of 130 and has a slight efficiency advantage over gasoline. Because CNG is already in a gaseous state, CNG vehicles have superior starting and driveability, even under severe hot and cold weather conditions.

Dependable Service and Cleaner Air

As you can see, OCTA’s new CNG buses offer a variety of advantages. If you are a regular OCTA bus customer, you will appreciate the increase in dependability CNG buses provide. Even more, you’ll like the fact that these new buses are reducing emissions, which means cleaner air for all of us.