GPMTD/CityLink, B20 Club of Illinois announce renewed partnership

The B20 Club of Illinois has renewed its partnership with the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (GPMTD)/CityLink, with new full bus wraps on two CityLink fixed-route buses.

The B20 Club of Illinois is a partnership of the Illinois Soybean Association and American Lung Association that recognizes a select group of Illinois-based fleets with a strong commitment to operate on biodiesel blends of B20 or greater.

Additional participating sponsors for these wraps are Ag-Land FS, Inc., the American Lung Association, the Illinois Soybean Association and the Tazewell County Farm Bureau.

CityLink’s first experience with alternative fuels came about in the early 1990s when CityLink partnered with several corn grower associations as part of a national ethanol research program. CityLink, or GP Transit as it was known back then, was the first and largest transit system in the country to operate transit buses on E85 ethanol — fueling 14 full-size buses on the renewable fuel.

In 2009, CityLink was approached by another partner, Ag-Land FS, to test the viability of using B20 biodiesel, a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, fuel in a year-round, cold-climate application. Considering its aging fleet and a desire to reduce emissions, CityLink entered the trial with Ag-Land FS in the early months of 2009.

Since then, CityLink has consumed nearly five million gallons of cleaner-burning B20 biodiesel, reducing emissions equivalent to planting an estimated 134,000 trees while providing a cumulative health benefit of more than $89,000.

“CityLink is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with the B20 Club of Illinois, along with the other participating partners, for these two new bus wraps. We can’t think of a better way for the Greater Peoria area to learn about our fleet’s use of B20 biodiesel than with our own buses,” said CityLink General Manager Doug Roelfs. “Our fleet’s use of B20 biodiesel has a storied history and plays a pivotal role in our continued commitment to provide environmentally friendly and customer-focused public transportation to the communities we serve,” continued Roelfs.

“The American Lung Association commends CityLink for its use of cleaner-burning, drop-in B20,” said Bailey Arnold, project lead for the B20 Club and senior manager of Clean Air Initiatives with the American Lung Association. “By using a 20 percent blend of biodiesel, CityLink is providing measurable health and environmental benefits to the citizens of the greater Peoria area.”

Plans are in place for the media to have an opportunity to see new bus wraps in the coming months. More details will be shared at a later date.