Nopetro, a Florida-based compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling infrastructure provider, has finalized an agreement with the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX) for one of Nopetro's largest projects to date.
The public-private partnership (P3) covers a CNG station, improvements to LYNX's maintenance facility and the conversion of the public bus fleet to CNG. LYNX serves more than 30 million riders each year through its public transit system in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
“Once again, LYNX is at the forefront of the nationwide movement to build sustainable public transportation systems,” says John M. Lewis Jr., CEO of LYNX. “Switching to CNG makes sense both financially and environmentally for Central Florida transit, and Nopetro's collaboration made an easy choice even easier.”
As part of the contract, Nopetro will build and operate a fueling station located at the intersection of John Young Parkway and LYNX Lane, as well as make certain renovations and improvements to the adjacent maintenance facility to meet CNG compliance standards.
According to Nopetro, switching from diesel to CNG is expected to provide LYNX with annual positive returns on its investment approximately three years from the scheduled completion, in the second half of 2015.
LYNX will purchase and/or lease an initial 35 CNG buses and is projected to have more than 150 CNG buses within the next five years. The 150 CNG buses would represent half of the agency's current pool of 300 diesel vehicles.
