Thanks to grants from two environmental agencies, Azusa Unified installed a compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling station at its main office. Officials unveiled and dedicated it during an event on July 22, 2010.

   "Everything we do is to better the future of our kids, and health is one of them," Azuza Mayor Joe Rocha said during the ceremony.

   Azusa Unified paid USD 52.000 toward the installation, while the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Committee (MSRC) and the Air Quality Management District (AQMD) contributed the remaining cost of USD 295.000.

   In 2003, Azusa Unified began replacing its oldest buses with the help of and state and federal grants, and matching money from the AQMD.

   The district paid between USD 10.000 and USD 25.000 for each bus, with grants funding the remaining amount, said Fred Minassian, an AQMD manager. Each bus costs approximately USD 165.000, he said. Eight of the district's 21 buses are now CNG-powered and two more are on order, officials said.

   The fuel is more cost-effective and drivers will no longer have to re-fill their vehicles at other facilities, which can take up to an hour round-trip, according to Dee Garcia, Azusa Unified's transportation manager. "When you look at fuel costs and the time it takes (to refuel at other locations), we're spending 50 percent of what we were spending before," she said.

   With the new pumps on site, bus drivers hook up their vehicles at the end of the day, leaving them to re-fuel all night, Garcia said. One tank can last up to 300 miles, she said.