Some new buses in the St. Louis metro area will be running on biodiesel.

The St.Louis Post Dispatch reports Madison County Transit, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis proper, is now using 50 new, biodiesel-burning buses to replace part of its aging fixed-route bus fleet:

They cost about $400,000 each and their purchase was made possible by federal grants and appropriations, including stimulus money, that covered more than 92 percent of the costs.

The new buses replace 30- and 40-foot buses that were purchased new in 1997. All had surpassed their useful life expectancy based on state and federal standards.

The buses are the first of their kind in the region.