Pennsylvania Transit Authority Deploys Eight CNG Buses

The Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority (MMVTA) in Pennsylvania purchased eight new Gillig buses that will run on natural gas. The MMVTA was among several authorities which piggybacked on to a mass bid started by Red Rose, a Lancaster-based transit authority. The eight CNG buses replace four 40-foot commuter buses which service the Valley to Pittsburgh routes and four 35-foot local service buses.

The eight buses cost roughly $3.2 million, and the bulk of the local funding came from Westmoreland County. In addition, the transit authority is eligible to receive a $125,000 federal Clean Air green grant.

MMVTA hopes to tap into a Peoples Natural Gas CNG pipeline in the Donora Industrial Park by mid-February. In the meantime, CNG will be delivered from Bentleyville.

The transit authority operates a fleet of 30 buses that typically have a lifespan of 12 years or 500,000 miles. Some buses in the transit authority’s fleet, though, have amassed more than 600,000 miles. “We will replace six more buses within two years,” said Donna Weckoski, executive director of the MMVTA. “Eventually, all of our buses will be CNG.”