Ryder leases 25 CNG vehicles to grocery retailer

Ryder System, Inc. will lease 25 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, a grocery retailer operating 176 stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. The CNG vehicles are the first of their kind in the Fresh & Easy fleet and have been made available through Ryder’s agreement with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) in Southern California. The first 15 CNG vehicles were delivered to Fresh & Easy in July and the balance will be delivered in October.

“We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment, and incorporating natural gas vehicles into our fleet is a natural step to help us reduce emissions even further,” said Fresh & Easy CEO Tim Mason.

The $38.7 million Ryder/SANBAG project is part of a public/private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, the Southern California Association of Governments Clean Cities Coalition, and Ryder System, Inc. The project includes 202 heavy-duty natural gas vehicles, upgrades to three maintenance facilities for the proper servicing of natural gas vehicles and the construction of two fueling stations.

“Offering a natural gas vehicle solution to our logistics customers is an innovative and efficient option to execute their supply chain movements. It enables them to not only lower transportation costs and increase efficiencies, but also has clear and measurable benefits for reduced emissions,” stated John Sonia, Ryder’s senior vice president of operations for Dedicated Contract Carriage solutions. “Today’s complex supply chains require unwavering operational excellence, and this new vehicle technology enables our clients to transition their fleets without compromising that in any way, with the added environmental benefits of natural gas.”