Metro’s going with gas

Executive Director Kim Minkel and
Vice Chairman Henry M. Sloma

Metro began construction on a new compressed natural gas filling station, Monday, Aug. 31. Hosted by Frontier Garage, the station will serve the new CNG buses Metro has ordered.


The $5.9 million state-of-the-art facility will feature two 250-hp compressors, serving four fuel dispensers. A twin tower dryer, control building, electric motor and control distribution wiring and control system are also part of the one and a half acre project. The station will more than cover Metro’s needs for the immediate future, and it can be expanded to meet new demands.

Director of Public Transit, Tom George

The currant demands? Metro has 44 big buses on order. The first 20 will be Christmas presents. Before that, Metro is expected to see 10 paratransit vans. The CNG vehicles will replace the oldest buses in the fleet, most dating back to the 90s. A few have close to a half a million miles on the odometer.

Why CNG? Our Executive Director Kim Minkel explains. “Compressed natural gas is the fuel of the future. It’s affordable, plentiful, safe and made in the USA. CNG is an eco-friendly fuel that helps improve our air quality and will increase the overall efficiency of our fleet.”

With its own fueling station, Metro can fill up on the fuel of the future when the time is right, working around maintenance and service schedules. It puts Metro in the driver’s seat.