Knox County CAC Transit Begins Using Propane

Knox County’s Community Action Committee (CAC) transportation program has received funding to help move the program to using propane. Karen Estes, manager of the program, applied for funding from both the CMAQ and Section 5310 programs (5310 provides capital funding to provide transportation for the elderly and disabled). Estes received $240,000 from each program to purchase a total of eight vehicles that would operate on propane only (dedicated). The small buses will serve the Knox County area; each seats 17 including space for four wheelchairs. Estes says, “Knox County CAC Transit will be testing the performance and reliability of these vehicles in the non-urbanized area of Knox County.”

KAT (Knoxville Area Transit) has been using propane on different routes within the city of Knoxville for two years. KAT has about 20 propane vans that are similar to the CAC buses and they have not noticed any problems. KAT’s vans began with demand response service on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus and expanded to route service including expresses. The vehicles refuel at the main Knox County refueling center off of Baxter Avenue which now offers propane and biodiesel as two fuels that county vehicles can now use to refuel.