The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and Clean Energy Fuels celebrated the opening of the public-access compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility at JTA’s Myrtle Avenue operations campus.

The CNG project was made possible through a Public-Private Partnership (P3) with Clean Energy. This station, adjacent to the existing, private JTA-dedicated CNG station, will provide access to fueling for both public and private vehicles. The ceremony included a ribbon cutting and fueling demonstration. The event included JTA Chairman Scott L. McCaleb, JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. and Clean Energy Sr. VP Peter Grace.

“By allowing the public and other agencies to fuel their vehicles, the authority will begin contributing to the available supply of CNG in the region, which in turn will help make our region cleaner by eliminating fewer pollutants into the air we breathe,” said JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. “CNG vehicles produce up to 90 percent less smog producing pollutants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 percent.”

JTA’s goal is to have a fleet of 100 CNG buses over four years and we are well underway with 23 vehicles currently in the fleet.

This CNG project, one of the JTA's transformative Blueprint 2020 initiatives, also included a modification to the bus maintenance facility and a bus fueling facility. Fueling of the CNG buses began in December 2015 with the rollout of the First Coast Flyer Bus Rapid Transit ”Green Line.”

The Clean Energy station is easily accessible for heavy-duty fleet trucks and passenger vehicles. The new CNG station will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and uses a public access card reader system. The station includes one single hose dispenser, with the capability of adding an additional three dispensers.