Lincoln opens new $6.3M fueling station for StarTran buses
The city's compressed natural gas buses will now be fueled at a new $6.3 million fueling station, saving the city $729,000 annually in fuel costs and allowing its to increase the number of trips its paratransit service offers, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced Thursday.
"Lincoln is committed to continuously improving our public transportation system, recognizing that when we do it, we help deliver even better outcomes for our StarTran riders, drivers and our community," Gaylor Baird said.
The new station means the city's 41 buses fueled by compressed natural gas will now be able to fill up at the new fueling station at 445 S. Eighth St. rather than having to go to the only other station in the city, a privately owned fueling station in northeast Lincoln, said Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott.
The new station reduces refueling time from 45 minutes to 10 minutes per bus, and the labor savings are being reinvested in expanding the transit services, offering more rides and more convenient pick-up times, she said. The new station saves the city about $2 a gallon on fuel.
The new fueling station replaces the older one, where the city's 11 paratransit buses were refueled. They'll refuel at the new station along with the city's existing CNG buses, and the new station is large enough to handle the additional 16 CNG buses that will replace the city's remaining diesel-fueled buses over the next two years.
"This project marks a milestone as we work toward a cleaner, more efficient public transit and ultimately a healthier environment for all Lincoln community members," Elliott said.
The station – 15 times larger than the old one – was paid for with an $855,000 Nebraska Environmental Trust grant, $300,000 in city matching dollars and other state and federal dollars.
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