LOS ANGELES AIRPORT : LNG-Burning Shuttle Fleet Begins Operating

The nation’s first airport shuttle bus fleet powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas began operating Monday at Los Angeles International Airport.

Airport officials have taken delivery of the first three of 14 new LNG-powered shuttle buses. The rest of the fleet will be delivered over the next couple of months. The buses will transport passengers between airport parking lots and the airline terminals.

The city Department of Airports operates a fleet of 46 shuttle buses and plans to add additional liquefied natural gas buses over the next few years until its entire fleet is replaced.

In May, airport officials awarded Southern California Gas a contract to build and operate California’s first LNG refueling station. The Department of Airports leases the station at $8,000 per month, with fuel costing 67 cents per gallon.

The refueling facility, located on airport property adjacent to a remote parking lot on Jenny Drive near Westchester Parkway, is a temporary station to be used until a facility can be built. Its two tanks have a total storage capacity of 10,500 gallons.

The fuel, which is super-chilled to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit through cryogenics, will be brought in by tanker truck from Shute Creek, Wyo.