News & Events

2009 Ridership Surpasses 2008 All-Time Record

System-wide ridership was 2,381,447 ending September 30, 2009, while ridership ending September 30, 2008 was 2,323,434.
Posted 1/21/10
 

Metro Bus and SCSU Unveil Bus Powered by Recycled Vegetable Oil - Husky Fried Ride New Flyer Bus #701 

A Metro Bus powered by recycled deep fryer vegetable oil – called the Husky Fried Ride – was unveiled in conjunction with Earth Day festivities Friday, April 18th, at St. Cloud State University. The Husky Fried Ride bus #701, a 40-foot 2005 New Flyer bus, is used in service at SCSU for Husky Shuttle and Campus Clipper routes. 

Metro Bus and St. Cloud State University unveiled the bus that is powered by a mixture of 80 percent recycled vegetable oil and 20 percent diesel fuel. The vegetable oil comes from deep fryers at St. Cloud State, where Sodexo provides foodservice for Garvey Commons and Atwood Center. 

It is believed that this is the first transit bus system in the nation to use waste vegetable oil to power a public transit bus. Project costs, estimated at over $7,000 include the fuel system conversion, and equipment to collect, filter, store, mix and warm the fuel. 

Fuel cost savings are estimated at approximately $2.30 per gallon compared to the cost diesel fuel. 

Metro Bus has plans that additional buses will be added to operate on this new fuel. 

Partners for the Husky Fried Ride bus project and unveiling are: Metro Bus, SCSU Administration and Student Government, Sodexo, and Rheaume’s House of Lettering. 

The unique and exciting bus wrap design was developed in-house by SCSU Communications Department staff with input from project partners.