KCATA Opens CNG Station in Kansas City

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) celebrated the opening of its new CNG fueling station, which is the largest fast-fill station in Missouri and the Kansas City region. The station allows buses to be fueled in less than seven minutes, and will enable KCATA to fill more than 200 buses nightly. The agency currently has 17 CNG buses in its fleet, with eight more arriving this month. The move from diesel to CNG fuel is expected to save up to $500,000 in fuel in 2015, and up to $4,000,000 per year once the fleet is fully converted over the next dozen years. CNG vehicles are being phased in as current buses are retired. The station cost $3.2 million to build; eighty percent of the cost was provided by the federal Urbanized Area Formula Grant Program. KCATA has entered into a partnership with Clean Energy, who will monitor and maintain the fueling station.