A local bus company’s fleet is about to get a lot more environmentally friendly.

This morning Amtran introduced five new compressed natural gas buses. They held a special ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony at their operation center on Fifth Avenue in Altoona.

The project is part of PennDot’s statewide CNG Public-Private Partnership.

“Local natural gas in the state, inside the US is more energy independent,” Amtran General Manager Eric Wolf said. “We are hoping over the next 10 years it will save us enough money we can actually pay for the project that brought it in.

“It’s a very big push by PennDot and we were very happy to go along.  It’s a great idea.”

Wolf says Amtran will be adding 10 more CNG Buses to their fleet in October.