Cleaner and Greener Public Transit
B20 Club Member Spotlight: Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS)
It’s no secret that public transit helps the environment. But the Muncie Indiana Transit System, also known as MITS, is making public transit cleaner and greener with their use of B20 biodiesel—a cleaner, renewable form of diesel fuel.
With a strong dedication to providing reliable and sustainable transportation options for the residents, students and visitors to Muncie, Indiana, it only makes sense that B20 is their fuel of choice.
MITS currently operates 33 full-size transit buses, all of which run on B20 biodiesel. In addition to their buses, MITS uses B20 to fuel 50% of their service trucks.
“About ten years ago our former maintenance director pushed MITS to start using B20 in our fleet,” said Larry (Pete) Shields, Director of Maintenance. “I’m not sure why he pushed for the change, but I’m glad he did!”
A single commuter choosing MITS over driving a personal car will reduce approximately 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. By using nearly 150,000 gallons of biodiesel annually instead of conventional diesel, MITS contributes to an annual carbon reduction equivalent to planting over 4,000 trees.
B20 doesn’t just promote a healthy environment, it promotes a healthy business, too.
B20 is helping MITS cut down on maintenance costs. The cleaner-burning fuel is better for the engines than conventional diesel.
“Biodiesel has had a positive impact on our fleets with no changes needed to facilitate the switch,” said Shields. “We use it just like conventional diesel.”
MITS is proud to be a member of the B20 Club of Indiana—a collaboration between the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the American Lung Association that recognizes and supports the efforts of Indiana-based fleets using biodiesel blends of B20 or higher for at least six months out of the year.
After nearly a decade of using B20 to fuel their fleets, Shields says, “It’s here to stay.”
About Biodiesel
Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and distillers corn oil, biodiesel and renewable diesel are better, cleaner fuels that are available now for use in existing diesel engines without modification. These low-carbon, low-cost fuels are helping to reduce emissions today from trucks, buses, emergency vehicles and large equipment. Both are derived from renewable feedstocks and their use does not typically require expensive investments in refueling or recharging infrastructure. The market for these fuels has grown as the U.S. consumed about 3 billion gallons of biobased diesel fuel in 2020 and the market is set to double by 2030.
Learn more about how B20 helps MITS reach its sustainability goals and support the local community.
