Metro Magazine

AUG 2014

Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904

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Grant Trapp 1 year of service Charlie Rector 9 years of service That's not just a lift—that's a bold example of American ingenuity. Add to that rigorous testing and superior engineering and you have a lift that stands above the rest. Learn more at www.rotarylift.com/raised-in-madison/mm "The availability of air district fund- ing, the lower cost of fuel and the posi- tive environmental aspects of natural gas, led to SCT's move to natural gas bus- es in the mid 1990's," he says. Prior to delivery of its original 1996 CNG feet, the agency built a natural gas fueling facility consisting of two natu- ral gas-powered 300scfm compressors and a 20-post slow-fill fueling island. In March, 2014, construction of a sec- ond slow-fll island, containing 30 fuel posts, was completed. Te new slow-fll island is powered by two natural gas- powered 450scfm compressors. Com- bined, SCT's four compressors can fuel over 100 buses overnight and provide sufcient "fueling redundancy" to en- sure that no service interruptions will occur due to having a compressor down for maintenance, Albee says. In recent years, the use of natural gas has provided SCT a considerable cost savings, according to Albee. Taking ad- vantage of the low cost of natural gas and a federal incentive program for the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, SCT's net natural gas fuel cost for 2012 was less than $20,000. "We procure our own gas and we keep the costs down to a fraction of what it would be by other means," Albee says. FUTURE INITIATIVES SCT was established in July 1980 to provide intercity transit ser vice link- ing the county's nine incorporated cit- ies with Santa Rosa, the county seat. In addition to intercity service, SCT is the local transit provider for the cit- ies of Rohnert Park, Cotati, Sebasto- pol, Sonoma/Sonoma Valley, Windsor, Healdsburg and the Russian River com- munities of Rio Nido, Guerneville and Monte Rio. Te transit agency's service area covers over 390 square miles and has a population of 493,000 residents. In late 2016, commuter rail service is expected to begin that will serve So- noma and Marin Counties. The ser- vice, which will be operated by the So- noma Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART), will initially operate between downtown San Rafael and the Sonoma County Airport, north of Santa Rosa. 25 AUGUST 2014 m ETRO m AGAZINE > The use of natural gas has provided SCT a considerable cost savings.

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