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EXHAUST SYSTEM & RADIATOR EXPERTS
“When I started in the business, all school
buses were powered by gasoline. Now almost 37 years later, that may once again be the fuel
of choice to power America’s school buses.” — Michael Bullman, South Carolina Department of Education
wheelchair-bound students could avoid breathing diesel fumes. He added that while the district purchased the bus, the state of Massachusetts is
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viewing it as a pilot project in two regards. Te state is interested in how the bus performs and it want to determine how the large battery storage can return solar generated electricity back to the power grid. “So far, so good,” regarding performance, Flaherty said. “It’s got good power and good handling,” he continued. “All the feedback from our transportation staff has been positive.” Flaherty said he was particularly struck by how quiet the bus is. “From zero to 20 mph, it’s so quiet they have to play a jingle to let people know that a bus is coming.” Back at Elk Grove Unified near Sacramento, California, the district is also await- ing delivery of 10 electric buses from Lion Bus in July. “We really excited about it,” said Gayaldo. “We know there will be some challenges, but the only way to get the bugs out is to get them on the road to see what works well and what doesn’t.” Gayaldo said she will only run the buses 65 miles before recharging and will not use them for field trips. “Tese buses won’t be able to go long distances, but when you consider zero emissions, (lap-shoulder) seat belts and a brand-new bus, it will bring a lot to our community.” Gayaldo said the buses will be tested. “Te only way we’ll know their limits is to test them,” she said. “Everyone tells you what they can do, but it’s the reality that counts. We’ll see what they can do when the bus is full of kids and the air condi- tioning is running. We don’t have too many hills but we do have issues. We are a year-round district so I think we’re a perfect proving ground.”
WHERE DOES GASOLINE FIT IN? South Carolina’s Mike Bullman said he sees the trend toward alternative fuels continuing. While propane is currently the alternative fuel of choice, he said he be- lieves fleets will soon begin implementing more gasoline-powered buses into service. “It may sound strange to refer to gasoline as an alternative fuel, but consider the ma- jority of the Type C and D school buses built in the past 25 years were diesel-pow- ered. So anything other than diesel should be considered alternative.” Bullman said some advantages gasoline has over diesel include lower initial costs, slightly lower emissions, quieter operating environment, and overall fewer main- tenance cost. “When I started in the business, all school buses were powered by gasoline,” he said. “Now almost 37 years later, that may once again be the fuel of choice to power America’s school buses.” ●
What federal and state grants are school bus operators tapping to fund new purchases and fuel infrastructure? Log on this month to our Web Exclusives section at
stnonline.com/go/9i.
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38 School Transportation News • APRIL 2017 CELEBRATING25YEARS
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