NIU paid only $1.94 per gallon on gas this semester for its fleet of transportation vehicles because of a July 1, 2005 contract that provides the school with a lock-in rate for the 2006 fiscal year.

This does not include fuel bought for the Huskie Bus Line, which is run by an independent company and is in the hands of the Student Association.

Last year’s contract provided NIU with a more inexpensive fixed rate of $1.44 a gallon between the dates of July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005, said NIU transportation manager Bill Finucane.

The lock-in price has saved us a significant amount of money in the 2005 fiscal year,” Finucane said.

This year’s contract, through Petroleum Traders Corporation, the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based fuel broker, stipulates NIU can buy 10-percent ethanol gas in bulk from them at $1.94 a gallon. If the market price were to go down, however, NIU would be able to purchase gas from a secondary supplier, such as Lake Oils, a relatively smaller fuel company.

This secondary contract gives the transportation department much needed flexibility, Finucane said.

One hundred ninety five of the 226 vehicles owned by the NIU transportation department are fueled with the 10-percent ethanol blend gasoline using NIU’s own gas pumps located throughout campus, Finucane said. The transportation department-owned lot near the Dorland Building also has gas pumps.

These vehicles include Dodge Stratuses, Chevy Cavaliers and, more recently, hybrid Toyota Priuses, of which 15 are owned by NIU and used by University Police. The rest of the fleet, which is fueled by 20-percent soy-blend diesel fuel purchased from Sycamore-based Stan Olsen Oils at the market rate, includes dump trucks, snow plows, large transportation vehicles and NIU charter buses.

The Ford Crown Victorias previously used by the UP used to get about nine to 10 miles per gallon, compared to the 40 miles the new cars get per gallon now, a 75-percent increase in efficiency, Finucane said.

Last year, NIU purchased about 98,800 gallons of the 10-percent ethanol blend gasoline that the transportation department uses for its pool cars and about 21,500 gallons of the 20-percent soy blend diesel fuel that is used by the larger vehicles.

Junior English major Jenna Ermilio said she thinks the current $1.94 price is great compared to the $2.90 per gallon she pays at home.

She has one reservation regarding the fuel NIU purchases, though.

“My only worry is that NIU is making sure it’s purchasing the highest quality fuel,” she said.

Finucane is confident in the fuels NIU uses for its vehicles.

“The fuel NIU uses for its fleet of vehicles is very high quality,” Finucane said. “The 20-percent soy diesel fuel is better for the environment, and in the long run it reduces our dependence on foreign oil.”

The 10-percent ethanol blend gas also has better lubrication than gas without ethanol, Finucane said.

NIU’s entire fleet of cars operated by the transportation department traveled about 800,000 miles last year, with NIU pool cars traveling about 275,000 miles, Finucane said.

The busiest times of the year for NIU’s car fleet are in October, February and April because NIU professors and officials use the vehicles to supervise interns on-location and to attend certain meetings, Finucane said. During these busy times, the transportation department often purchases extra bulk gasoline.

In comparison, May and December see little vehicle use because classes are in session only parts of those months, Finucane said.

Students also are eligible to use an NIU-owned vehicle if it is strictly for class-related purposes, Finucane said.