Natural Gas Can Be Cheap Alternative Vehicle Fuel

Wichita is looking into powering its bus fleet with natural gas instead of diesel fuel.

The city paid $3.76 a gallon for diesel to run the buses this month; compressed natural gas runs about $1.20 to $1.50 a gallon. But making the switch would require the city’s transit facility to undergo major improvements — about $200,000 to modify buildings, primarily for safety reasons, and $2 million to build natural gas fueling stations.

Transit director Steve Spade says that with those costs factored in, the average annual savings with natural gas buses would be around $300,000 a year over time.

Spade and the city’s consultant are in the middle of a detailed study about the potential conversion.

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Associated Press information from: The Wichita Eagle