The Gator Nation just got a little bit greener.
Gainesville’s Regional Transit System will receive a $99,500 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation for its eco-friendly biodiesel program, according to department spokesman Philip Worth.
The state agency offers annual service projects to transit systems in Florida, and RTS applied for the grant as a biodiesel alternative fuel transit program.
The grant requires Gainesville to match the money through a contract process. After the city matches the $99,500 grant, the Florida Department of Transportation will give its 50-percent share, Worth said.
Chip Skinner, spokesman for RTS, said the money is already in the transit system’s budget and city officials are waiting for paperwork to be finalized.
Currently all buses with a route on campus use biodiesel, accounting for 22 percent of the fleet, Skinner said.
The grant will allow RTS to use biodiesel fuel in the entire 105-bus fleet.
The buses running on the fuel are labeled with a decal saying that the bus is “Greening the Gator Nation,” according to the City of Gainesville’s Web site.
He said he thinks the entire fleet will be converted to biodiesel by the end of the year.
Skinner said the project helps RTS reduce carbon dioxide emissions and decrease its dependency on oil.
The project has an estimated cost of $398,000 over a 2-year period.
The cost will cover new fuel tanks engineered to dispense the fuel along with the existing vehicle adaptations, he said.
