SEAL BEACH, CA - Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has secured a new 10-year contract from the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) to operate CNG facilities that fuel METRO CNG buses deployed in the agency's Downtown Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay and Westside divisions.

Clean Energy will operate and maintain all 10 of METRO's CNG facilities that supply the METRO fleet with 40 million gallons of CNG fuel annually when the transition is complete.

Earlier this year, METRO awarded three other station contracts to Clean Energy, which affected six of METRO's CNG fueling facilities located throughout the agency's 1,433-square mile service area.

"METRO currently deploys America's largest CNG-powered clean-air transit bus fleet," said Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy's president and CEO. "METRO's 2,500 CNG buses comprise 95 percent of its overall transit bus fleet. We are honored by the opportunity METRO has given Clean Energy to assume overall responsibility for supporting their entire CNG bus fleet."

According to the California Energy Commission, natural gas-powered transit buses reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 23 percent compared to conventional diesel-powered models. Natural gas fuel costs significantly less, on average, than diesel fuel.

METRO deploys buses on 191 fixed routes with nearly 16,000 bus stops in greater Los Angeles County. More than 9.6 million people -- nearly one-third of California's residents -- live and work in L.A. County. In fiscal year 2010, passenger boardings of METRO buses totaled more than 366 million.

Clean Energy is the largest provider of natural gas fuel for transportation in North America and a global leader in the expanding natural gas vehicle market. The company has operations in CNG and LNG vehicle fueling, construction and operation of CNG and LNG fueling stations, biomethane production, vehicle conversion and compressor technology.

Clean Energy fuels over 18,300 vehicles at more than 200 locations across the United States and Canada, with a broad customer base in the refuse, transit, trucking, shuttle, taxi, airport and municipal fleet markets.