As reported by The Kansas City Star, the USD 7 million initiative was funded with a USD 4 million DOE’s stimulus grant (in partnership with Kansas City Regional Clean Cities Coalition), which also paid the entire cost of the filling station, constructed at the district’s transportation department headquarters, where the buses will refuel.
The 47 CNG vehicles represent half of the district’s largest buses and will replace one third of its aging fleet. According to Clean Cities Coalition officials, these NGVs will displace 1 million to 2 million gallons of diesel fuel. “We will eliminate 150,000 pounds of greenhouse gases every year from the very places where our children live, learn and play,” said Kelly Gilbert, director of the coalition.
It is worth mentioning that this is the first school district in the states of Kansas or Missouri to invest so heavily in clean vehicles by launching a large-scale fleet driven by the gaseous fuel. Besides these buses, Kansas City has about 250 vehicles running on CNG.
