Edmonton to test buses using compressed natural gas
Edmonton Transit will test two buses that run on compressed natural gas to see if the fuel will work in cold winter weather.
“We have to be careful because when we make this commitment to go forward we're looking at building a new garage and we've got over one thousand buses and we start converting over to CNG we want to make sure that we understand what we're doing,” said city transportation general manager Bob Boutilier.
Boutilier says that compressed natural gas is at least 15 per cent cheaper than other fuels and has fewer emissions.
Coun. Don Iveson says that could help reduce transit fuel costs that currently run between $20 to $30 million a year.
“Any opportunity to make the transit system more efficient frees up money to improve service and if we can leave cleaner air while we're at it, that's great,” he said.
The two buses will operate on Routes 6 and 33 during the two-year pilot project.
