‘It’s Not an Alternative Fuel Anymore; It’s a Fuel Choice’ So declared Ron Halley, vice president of fleet and facilities for national school


bus contractor Student Transportation of America, at the STN EXPO in July 2018. He was part of a panel of student transporters discussing the fuels they use in their fleets, why they made the choices they did and effects on bottom lines. Halley started his alt-fuel journey with 450 propane school buses, and now


oversees 4,749 alt-fuel buses—gasoline, propane and CNG. “The only challenge we have going from diesel to propane is no one wants to drive the diesel, everybody wants to drive the propane,” he said. Incorporating a new fuel into school bus operations must be accompanied by partnership with the supplier and education of the community, he added. “For my area, diesel won out, for the miles I run and longevity of buses I use,”


revealed Eric Smith, a certified child passenger safety instructor and director of transportation for Missouri’s Seneca R-VII School District. Timothy Shannon of Twin Rivers (California) Unified School District, a trans-


portation director repeatedly recognized for his innovation, operates the largest electric school bus fleet in the U.S. He told STN that he has observed his fuel costs drop by 80 percent and maintenance costs drop by about 72 percent. Twin Rivers USD Fleet Manager Ray Manolo represented the district during the July 15 panel and shed light on the topic of battery costs. “I equate that battery replacement to an engine replacement,” Manolo ex- plained. “Batteries are much more expensive than an engine, but we anticipate them coming down (in price) because they have already.” “EPA is all over us to be clean and be green,” shared Michael Warner, director of fleet maintenance for Cobb County School District near Atlanta. He said he staked his career on the purchase of 25 gasoline buses for use in the Georgia district back in 2016, and that the 42 vehicles they run now have saved CCSD money on both the initial purchase as well as refueling costs. San Jose (California) Unified School District, meanwhile, has 101 school buses


that run on renewable diesel, which Lead Mechanic Andrew DeBolt said “is chem- ically identical to petroleum diesel except for diesel aromatics and PE.” Switching to the drop-in fuel was a “no brainer,” since it reduced time and money spent on maintenance that is related to diesel fuel, like particulate filter replacement and exhaust gas recirculation. Similarly, Denny Coughlin, a former Minneapolis Public Schools fleet manager and a current consultant, stated that he has seen biodiesel be “extremely effec- tive” for districts. Different from renewable diesel as it is produced from plant- based oils, recycled fats and greases, is also a plug-and-play diesel blend that can immediately replace anywhere from one to 99 percent of the traditional diesel in a vehicle’s tank. “It’s really safe if you know how to operate it at all,” Coughlin added. Natural Gas Vehicles for America made the case in May that CNG is also a strong


contender, since these commercially-available “vehicles offer the best solutions today for addressing the goals of the (VW Environmental Mitigation Trust), delivering the most nitrogen oxide emission reductions for the least cost.” “There’s no one right fuel; what’s right for one us may not be right for another,” advised Manolo, who also spoke of how CNG has benefited Twin Rivers. The pan- elists agreed that clean school bus funding availability should only be part of the conversation, as the assessment of what fuels to use should be based on individual district or operational needs. “As long as you look at all these choices from a global perspective, you won’t make the wrong choice,” concluded DeBolt.


FACTORY-DIRECT PRICING


OE Standards At Replacement Cost


As the nation’s leading school bus exhaust manufacturer, Auto-Jet has you covered.


• Factory-direct pricing


• Same-day shipping on most parts


• 4,500 unique parts in stock


• Made in the U.S.A. and Canada


www.auto-jet.com 800-247-5391


Canada Toll-Free: 866-229-3401 sales@auto-jet.com


www.stnonline.com 19 AJM-GEN-00010_PrintAds_2.1875x9.875.indd 2 1/7/16 8:39 AM


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52