Tulsa Transit to Receive $2.5 Million
Tulsa Transit to Receive $2.5 Million
Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Transit is the recipient of a $2.5 million federal Clean Fuels grant to support the construction of a compressed natural gas () fueling station. This grant award is for capital purposes only and can not be used for operations.The fueling station will be built at Tulsa Transit’s bus facility at 510 S. Rockford. It will not be available for public use. The project is expected to begin in February 2010 and be completed in summer 2011.
General Manager Bill Cartwright said, “We had been working very hard to secure a funding source for our fueling station, so we were very excited to learn that we are the recipients of this substantial Clean Fuels grant award. I think this award demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to public transit, and to the environment.”
Tulsa Transit will be converting its entire fleet from diesel power to over the next few years. There are 35 Lift Program vehicles and 15 large fixed-route buses currently on order. The new Lift Program vehicles will be put into service between November, 2010 and March, 2011 but will not be converted to until the fueling station is completed. The first Fixed Route buses are scheduled to arrive in the summer of 2011.
The new vehicles will be quieter and will not produce any diesel fumes. They will also help Tulsa Transit save on fuel costs since the price of natural gas is much lower than the price of diesel. With our city’s current budget problems, this savings will help us to maintain service levels.
comes from natural gas supplies produced in Oklahoma, so the money spent on this fuel will stay in our state. This will help our local economy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and help our air quality. is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and produces much less harmful emissions than other fossil fuels.
Updated 11-09-2010
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