The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) in Texas has received $100.7 million to transition its fleet to clean-fuel vehicles and infrastructure.
The funding was delivered through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low- or No-Emission Bus (Low-No) grant program. METRO received the largest award in Texas through the program’s most recent round, which delivered approximately $2 billion to support bus programs and networks across the U.S.
METRO will use its share of the program to convert its bus network to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) alternatives. This includes replacing 100 aging diesel buses with CNG models, building a CNG fueling station and upgrading maintenance facilities to support expanded CNG operations.
Full implementation of CNG infrastructure will be a significant step toward reducing the authority’s carbon footprint, mitigating up to 98% of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. METRO projects that the CNG-based fleet and infrastructure will displace nearly 2.3 million gallons of diesel annually, reducing carbon emissions by more than 15,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing the public transit carbon profile will directly help vulnerable communities by preserving clean air. These underserved communities are typically located in proximity to high-traffic corridors, where many children, seniors and people with respiratory conditions travel and live.
Photo by Adrian Newell from Pexels
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