TRANSIT BUSES GO BIODIESEL

Beginning July 23, 2007, Victoria Regional Transit conventional buses, community buses and handyDART vehicles will use a 20% biodiesel fuel blend that will result in environmental benefits.

Biodiesel is a natural choice in the migration from fossil fuels to clean sources of energy. It is made from renewable sources such as vegetable oil (usually canola and soybean oil in Canada and the US).

Victoria Regional Transit uses eight million litres of fuel a year, and the biodiesel supply is still limited. As the biofuel industry matures and demand increases, there will be an increased supply of fuel.

Pure biodiesel is referred to as B100 - 100% biodiesel. Biodiesel is blended with regular diesel fuel (or petrodiesel) and is referred to by the percentage blend. For example, B5 is 5% biodiesel and 95% petrodiesel. Biodiesel has proven successful in various blend ratios for transit vehicles, the most common being B5 and B20. It is not possible to use B100 in existing internal combustion engines without major adjustments