Bus agency to open fueling stations to public
Bus agency to open fueling stations to public
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| Julie O’Brien fuels up the MBTA bus she drives with compressed natural gas at the agency’s Joshua Tree station. MBTA will soon start selling its CNG to the public. (Courtney Vaughn / Hi-Desert Star) |
By Courtney Vaughn
Hi-Desert Star
JOSHUA TREE — The Morongo Basin Transit Authority is looking to fuel the future. On Thursday, MBTA board members discussed the logistics of opening up the transit agency’s two compressed natural gas stations for public use. Located at the MBTA facilities in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, the fuel stations are used to service the company’s own fleet.
Soon though, any vehicle that runs on natural gas will be able to pull up and pay at the pump.
Different from propane, CNG is a pressurized natural gas that has no color or odor and doesn’t corrode, according to the California Energy Commission’s web-based Consumer Energy Center.
“More than 99 percent of the natural gas used in the United States comes from domestic or other North American sources,” the CEC site states. CNG is also said to be cleaner burning than gasoline or diesel fuel.
MBTA General Manager Joe Meer said grant funding from the Mojave Air Quality Management District requires that the stations be accessible to the public.
The site is awaiting a visit from the Department of Weights and Measures, Meer said, adding that he hopes to be open to the public within a few weeks.
According to cleancar
maps.com, California has 162 operational CNG stations, including one at the Park and Ride on Kickapoo Trail in Yucca Valley.
The price of the gaseous fuel is less than regular gasoline, coming in at about $2.50 per gallon.
Meer said he doesn’t expect a huge demand for the fuel, but once open to the public, the CNG stations will serve as a back-up to the one in Yucca Valley that Burrtec uses.
Transit authority stations also will serve residents who own alternative-fuel vehicles such as the Honda Civic GX model, or those with that have been converted from gasoline to CNG.
“It’s a lot cleaner and usually it’s cheaper,” Meer said. The GM noted he’s even considered purchasing a CNG vehicle when it comes time to look for his next car.
“It’d be easy because I could fuel-up when I go to work. I’d keep a regular gasoline vehicle for long trips and just use that one for shorter travel,” Meer said.
While CNG is praised for being a clean fuel, it doesn’t deliver the same gas mileage as most hybrid vehicles. The average mpg for a compact car that runs on CNG is 24 for city driving and 36 on the highway.
Buck
Soon though, any vehicle that runs on natural gas will be able to pull up and pay at the pump.
Different from propane, CNG is a pressurized natural gas that has no color or odor and doesn’t corrode, according to the California Energy Commission’s web-based Consumer Energy Center.
“More than 99 percent of the natural gas used in the United States comes from domestic or other North American sources,” the CEC site states. CNG is also said to be cleaner burning than gasoline or diesel fuel.
The site is awaiting a visit from the Department of Weights and Measures, Meer said, adding that he hopes to be open to the public within a few weeks.
According to cleancar
maps.com, California has 162 operational CNG stations, including one at the Park and Ride on Kickapoo Trail in Yucca Valley.
The price of the gaseous fuel is less than regular gasoline, coming in at about $2.50 per gallon.
Meer said he doesn’t expect a huge demand for the fuel, but once open to the public, the CNG stations will serve as a back-up to the one in Yucca Valley that Burrtec uses.
Transit authority stations also will serve residents who own alternative-fuel vehicles such as the Honda Civic GX model, or those with that have been converted from gasoline to CNG.
“It’s a lot cleaner and usually it’s cheaper,” Meer said. The GM noted he’s even considered purchasing a CNG vehicle when it comes time to look for his next car.
“It’d be easy because I could fuel-up when I go to work. I’d keep a regular gasoline vehicle for long trips and just use that one for shorter travel,” Meer said.
While CNG is praised for being a clean fuel, it doesn’t deliver the same gas mileage as most hybrid vehicles. The average mpg for a compact car that runs on CNG is 24 for city driving and 36 on the highway.
Buck
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