Can Biogas Keep Fleets Moving While Cutting Carbon?

Transit agencies and truck operators turn to renewable natural gas as policy shifts delay electrification timelines

2 Oct 2025

America’s clean transport race is shifting gears. As California reworks its Advanced Clean Fleets rule and withdraws a federal waiver tied to private mandates, transit agencies and trucking operators are rethinking their options. At the top of the list in 2025: biogas.

The draw is simple. Fleet managers are under pressure to cut emissions, but electric trucks remain hampered by sparse charging networks and limited range. Renewable natural gas offers a near-term solution, keeping buses and rigs moving with lower-carbon fuel while the electric grid and charging buildout catch up.

San Antonio’s VIA Metropolitan Transit shows how it works in practice. Since 2022, more than 400 of its buses have run on landfill-derived biogas supplied through a partnership with EDL, Republic Services, and CPS Energy. The switch has displaced millions of gallons of diesel while keeping service reliable.

Private companies are also leaning in. Clean Energy Fuels is pitching bundled deals that combine fuel supply, station access, and vehicle financing to help cities and waste haulers adopt the model more easily.

California’s regulatory reset is helping fuel the momentum. “This is not a retreat from clean trucking goals but a reshaping of timelines and tools,” said one policy analyst. “Operators want solutions that work today, and biogas provides that bridge. It delivers real carbon savings now with room for electrification later.”

Developers are racing to tie new landfill and farm-gas projects directly to fleet demand, encouraged by renewable fuel credits. Yet supply could become a choke point. Utilities are increasingly competing with transport buyers for the same molecules, a trend analysts say may define the next five years.

Still, the mood is largely optimistic. With transit agencies proving the model, private fleets testing bundled offerings, and policy winds shifting, biogas is stepping out of its niche. For operators who cannot wait for the electric future, it has become the fastest route to cleaner roads.