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By the numbers
$2.3M The total of a federal grant that HART is getting for the program.
2013 The year that HART expects the natural gas filling station to be running.
20 Amount, in percentage, that HART expects to save in fuel costs.
177 Number of buses within HART's existing fleet.
Source: Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit says it's planning to swap out its fleet of diesel-powered buses and vans with vehicles powered by less expensive compressed natural gas.
The transit agency said the move will save 20 percent on fuel costs and could extend the life of buses by 100,000 miles, potentially lowering maintenance costs as well.
"The selling point of this is that it's green, and it's cost-effective," said chief executive officer Philip Hale, who first pushed for the change three years ago when he was the agency's maintenance chief.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded HART $2.3 million to build a compressed natural gas fueling station and outfit its maintenance building with equipment and safety features to service natural gas buses. The agency expects the fueling station to be running by late 2013.
For the full article, visit the St. Petersburg Times.
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