WMATA to purchase 175 CNG buses for $36.5 million

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board of directors approved the procurement of 175 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses at a cost of $36.5 million. The procurement of the additional 175 CNG buses, which WMATA expects to award in the next six months, will increase the fleet to 339. Last October, WMATA's board approved a proposal seeking to construct a CNG fueling facility at the Four Mile Run Bus Division in Arlington, Va., that can fuel and maintain its CNG buses. The total cost to upgrade the facility is $22 million. In addition, by the end of 2003, WMATA will have over 100 diesel buses with technology to make significant nitrogen oxide (NOx) reductions.