Compressed natural gas fueling station opens Thursday in Kansas City, Kan.

Questar Fueling is opening a compressed natural gas fueling station Thursday for trucks and cars at 6580 Kansas Ave. in Kansas City, Kan.

It will be the third public compressed gas fueling station in the metro area, joining one in Lee’s Summit, run by Clean Energy Fuels Corp., and another in Overland Park, run by Kansas Gas Service. More municipalities and commercial fleets have been adding natural gas vehicles because fuel costs are lower and the vehicles pollute less.

A fourth public station, also a Clean Energy facility, is expected to open later this year at 5310 Municipal Drive, near Chauteau Trafficway and Front Street. It also will serve city vehicles of Kansas City, Mo., which has a fleet of around 300 such vehicles. The city has been a leader in using natural gas vehicles, but its fueling facilities haven’t been open to the public.

Similarly, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has started using natural gas buses and last month got a new fueling station, but it’s reserved for the ATA.

The Lee’s Summit School District also has buses that run on natural gas and refuel at the Lee’s Summit station.

Clean Energy also has a station in Kansas City, Kan., at Interstate 635 and Kansas Avenue, which dispenses liquefied natural gas, which some big trucks use. Clean Energy hopes to add compressed gas service there soon and has plans for a station at the Hunt Midwest Business Center and is considering adding a station in downtown Kansas City.

This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Compressed natural gas fueling station opens Thursday in Kansas City, Kan.."