HAMILTON: The City of Hamilton and Enbridge Gas have announced the first renewable natural gas (RNG) fuelled bus in Ontario.
Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) is now the first public transportation authority in Ontario to use RNG, to transport customers.
In one year, the HSR RNG bus will use and divert 450 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill. That’s equivalent to 138 garbage trucks, while also displacing CO2 emissions from 36,000 litres of diesel in a year.
“Renewable natural gas provides an excellent opportunity for the HSR and City of Hamilton to continue our efforts to lower corporate GHG emissions and move toward targets outlined in our Climate Change Emergency declaration and Corporate Energy and Sustainability Policy.
We are proud to partner with Enbridge Gas on this innovative initiative that will pave the way to ensure the future of transit in our community is energy efficient and sustainable,” says Mayor Fred Eisenberger City of Hamilton.
RNG vehicle fuel is upgraded biogas; the gaseous product of the decomposition of organic waste from homes and businesses that has been processed into green fuel. This green HSR bus operates with carbon-negative RNG—fuel that goes beyond netzero—provided from the StormFisher facility in London, Ontario, creating a circular economy in the province; achieving climate change targets, diverting waste from landfills, and supporting economic development, all while decreasing CO2 emissions and providing transit customers with comfort and reliability.
“We are excited to work with the City of Hamilton and Enbridge on this transformational initiative. The use of renewable natural gas as a carbon-negative fuel for public transit is a great example of the steps that need to be taken as we move forward into a net-zero carbon future, and supporting economic development and jobs in Ontario,” says Brandon Moffatt, Vice President, Development & Operations, StormFisher Ltd. RNG buses cost half compared to electric buses and have a similar fuel price as diesel.
Diesel buses can be replaced 1-for-1 with RNG without compromising performance. Like diesel, RNG operates during freezing weather conditions and refuelling takes minutes, not hours. This demonstrates that municipalities can have carbon-neutral transit today without sacrificing performance, reliability or range. – CNW