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DIESEL ECONOMY While many districts are seeking to reduce fuel and maintenance costs through alternative fuels and electric buses, diesel still powers the vast majority of the nation’s school buses.


“Clean-diesel still outperforms all other fuel types


when it comes to fuel economy purely because of the nature of the fuel itself,” said Mark Childers, powertrain and technology sales manager for Tomas Built Buses, which is heralding the DD5 and DD8 engines from fellow Daimler subsidiary Detroit. “Diesel has always been and remains the most fuel-efficient engine due to more BTU, providing nearly 50 percent better fuel economy and a longer operating range than any other similar-sized gasoline, propane or CNG engine.” Fraley considers himself a “diesel guy” who does not plan to rely on alternative fuels. He has multiple initiatives underway to improve the efficiency and fuel economy of his diesel fleet.


Wayne Winters said the switch to propane has reduced fuel costs by more than $80,000 over three years for Crittenden County Schools in Kentucky.


Kanawha’s buses currently average about 7.4 miles per gallon, and Fraley said he hopes to keep pushing that number up, despite difficult weather that means fuel-sucking air conditioning in summer, idling to keep warm in winter and even floods that have scrambled school schedules and meant more buses running. Bill Weisberg, transportation director for Vista Unified Schools in Southern California, noted that districts can also often negotiate cheaper fuel rates with suppliers; he said he saved $5,000 a year through such an arrangement when he worked in San Bernardino. “Gas stations will often give ‘cash prices’ per gallon for their larger customers instead of credit card pricing, which is something that every transportation department should be asking for,” Weisberg noted.


UNDER PRESSURE Fraley’s fleet is outfitted with external tire pressure gauges with green-yellow-red indicators and a set- up that makes them easy to check without cutting one’s arm. Keeping tires inflated properly and making it easy to monitor tire pressure is a cheap and effective way to increase fuel economy. Childers said that tire inflation and tire age can make a 7-percent difference in fuel economy, and systems like Tomas Built’s BusWise Technologies can help districts keep tabs on tire pressure. Frank Tomas, transportation director for Southern California’s Imperial County, said training staff to closely monitor tire pressure and air filters may be their most important way of maximizing fuel economy, especially since they travel a lot of country roads that can be tough on tires. Mike Oyster agrees. He’s president of Apple Bus Company, a Kansas City-based bus operator that works in five states. “Our preventative maintenance program is near and dear to my heart,” Oyster said. “An important aspect of maximizing fuel mileage is keeping everything working as it should be and keeping clean, unobstructed, air filters on the fleet and keeping tires properly inflated.”


NO IDLE EFFORT West Virginia state code lets buses idle any time the temperature drops below 40 degrees. But


Fraley—who comes from the trucking industry—thinks that can be “excessive,” and tries to mini- mize idling while still keeping students comfortable. Te need to idle to warm buses can be reduced by parking buses indoors in winter. And buses can be warmed with on-board heaters; Oyster noted Apple’s fleet includes Eberspaecher and Webasto diesel-fired heaters. Wayne Winters, regional director of the Kentucky Association for Pupil Transportation, said he has found the best way to reduce idling. Switch to propane buses. “If propane buses run for 10 minutes they’re blowing hot, whereas we have diesel buses that won’t warm up in the whole route,” said Win- ters, who is also the transportation director for Crittenden County School District and its 12 propane


36 School Transportation News • APRIL 2018


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