Portland, Oregon, metro area buses begin fueling with renewable diesel

General Manager Sam Desue Jr. and Oregon State Sen. Michael Dembrow give a thumbs up after fueling a TriMet bus with renewable diesel. (Photo: TriMet)

TriMet announced it has begun using a blend of 99 percent renewable diesel and 1 percent petroleum in its buses running routes throughout the tri-county metro area of Portland, Oregon. The transit-service provider says it had previously used a biodiesel blend.

“As Oregon’s largest consumer of diesel before today, we’re not only lowering TriMet’s greenhouse gas emissions, we’re leading the state’s transportation industry toward a cleaner air future right now,” said Sam Desue Jr., TriMet general manager.

TriMet’s first deliveries of renewable diesel arrived at operating facilities on Dec. 1. (Photo: TriMet)

TriMet’s switch to a renewable diesel blend in December is coupled with its change to renewable electricity in June. The combined efforts have reduced carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by more than half—63 percent—in six months’ time. TriMet expects to avoid 149 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions every year, the equivalent of taking 14,693 cars off the road.

“For Oregon to step up, be a model, and convince the rest of the nation to join the fight against climate change, we need to get serious about reducing our transportation emissions—the largest source of emissions in this state,” said Oregon State Sen. Michael Dembrow. “To do that, we need more people to be using transit, and we need to make sure that the energy used to run those buses and trains are coming from renewable sources. By switching to renewable electricity and renewable, green diesel, TriMet is making a huge difference in moving us forward. I’m so proud of this decision.”

Carson delivered Neste Corp.’s branded renewable diesel to TriMet’s three bus-operating facilities Dec. 1.

TriMet plans to move to a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040.