US: Delaware bus operator announces Autogas fleet expansion and station opening

The Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) unveiled the highly anticipated new onsite LPG refuelling station along with plans to increase its existing fleet of Autogas paratransit buses to 130 vehicles. After working with DTC on a two-year pilot programme testing five ROUSH CleanTech Autogas paratransit buses, the agency was so pleased with the results that its leaders purchased 50 more this year, with plans to purchase an additional 75 by FY2018.

“Our first five propane-fuelled buses collectively travelled 450,000 miles with no fuel system-related failures, and saved $15,000 in fuel costs alone,” said John T. Sisson, CEO of Delaware Transit Corporation. “That fact alone made it an easy decision to expand the programme with our new private fuel stations and 130 buses.”

This increase will bring the total number of Autogas vehicles in DART’s paratransit fleet to almost half the fleet — an astounding step forward in improving local air quality by reducing harmful emissions.

“I am pleased that DART is scaling up its use of low emissions technologies to power its bus fleet,” said Governor Jack Markell. “The use of cleaner-burning fuels is a sound investment that saves energy costs and improves public health and our environment.”

Each of the new paratransit buses will reduce more than 91,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over its lifetime compared to gasoline models. In addition to reducing the greenhouses gases emitted into the local communities, the transit agency also expects to see a significantly reduced spend on vehicle maintenance and fuel costs. Want to know more? Please check this link.