The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners recently authorized the purchase of 26 new CNG-powered AirBART and rental car shuttle buses that will be deployed at Oakland International Airport (OAK) beginning in 2009, replacing older diesel-powered models.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. will provide fueling services from its CNG station located at OAK's North Field.

Six of the new CNG buses will be assigned to AirBART service, which transports airport users between the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Coliseum/Oakland Airport Station and OAK's terminals. The remaining 20 CNG buses will support the airport's rental car center shuttle service.

In addition, the replacement of 26 diesel buses with natural gas buses will result in major fuel cost savings for the airport, projected at up to $400,000 annually, based on current market prices.

Funding to purchase the 26 new CNG shuttle buses is made possible in part by a $1 increase in the AirBART regular one-way fare which took effect in March 2007, a $10 customer facility charge collected on each rental car contract and a $250,000 grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

OAK will purchase the shuttles from El Dorado National, based in Chino, Calif.

Clean Energy's public access CNG station, located on OAK's North Field, will serve the new bus fleet. The company offers an additional station near Jack London Square, Oakland. Clean Energy has designed, built and currently operates a total of seven public access CNG stations in the San Francisco Bay Area.