“We decided to buy CNG buses for several reasons, especially because they are environmentally friendly,” said Superintendent Craig Witherspoon. “Compressed natural gas also is a domestic fuel and costs about one third less than gasoline, and CNG vehicles require less maintenance.”
District officials worked closely with officials at the Alabama State Department of Education, which had to give a waiver to allow the district to buy non-diesel buses. Representatives of local energy company Energen also worked with the district, providing assistance in preparing the request for proposals the district used to select a vendor for the CNG buses.
The buses drivers will fuel at the transit authority’s filling station, near the district bus terminal. Lawson State Community College, which has a grant to instruct people in the service of natural gas vehicles, trained the district’s mechanics during the summer.
Source: Birmingham City Schools
