The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has signed a new agreement with Clean Energy Fuels for an estimated 47.5 million gallons of its renewable natural gas (RNG) to fuel the US’ largest transit bus fleet.

This agreement will mark the completion of Metro’s 5-year goal to transition its diesel fleet to cleaner, low-carbon fuel, with 2,400 buses now running on RNG—the first renewable and commercially available vehicle fuel made entirely from organic waste.

Metro is committed to ensuring a seamless path towards a carbon-neutral future. Our use of RNG alongside our ultra-low NO_x engines on our existing CNG fleet provides the most cost-effective, equitable, and clean air strategy as we continue to transition to a 100% zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030 and a net zero-emissions agency by 2050.

—Metro’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Cris Liban

The fueling contract resulted from a competitive RFP process, with Metro awarding Clean Energy three fueling depots for a five-year term, with an option to extend up to three additional years. Clean Energy already delivers RNG to five additional Metro fueling depots under a previously awarded RNG agreement.

Over the 5-year period, the transition to RNG will further reduce Metro’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly compared to the use of conventional natural gas, driving down Metro’s Scope 1 emissions.

Additionally, Metro has been retrofitting and replacing its buses with the Cummins-Westport Low NO_x CNG engines that reduce smog-forming NO_x to 90% lower than the EPA NO_x limit.

Clean Energy’s RNG is derived from capturing the biogenic methane produced by the decomposition of organic waste from dairies, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. RNG reduces climate-harming greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70 percent, and even up to 300 percent depending on the source of the RNG, making it a negative-carbon fuel.

Through its sales of renewable natural gas (RNG), which is derived from capturing biogenic methane produced from decomposing organic waste, Clean Energy allows thousands of vehicle fleets, from airport shuttles to city buses to waste and heavy-duty trucks, to reduce their amount of climate-harming greenhouse gas by at least 70% and even up to 300% depending on the source of the RNG. Clean Energy can deliver RNG through compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquified natural gas (LNG) to its network of approximately 540 fueling stations across the US and Canada.