DeKalb County Central United School District in Indiana purchases propane buses from Blue Bird, which last month announced along with fuel system provider ROUSH CleanTech the the 2022 model year vehicles will be integrated with Ford’s new 7.3L V8 engine.
facility, or if they are used frequently throughout the day, fast charging may be necessary. Lion has a team, LionE- nergy, dedicated to helping customers figure out their charging situation. Thomas Built Buses’ Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school bus is only equipped for DC charging. “We advise our customers that the charging equipment will require an annual inspection and minimal filter replacement,” noted Childers.
Promoting Propane For districts unable to or uninterested in investing in
electric buses and charging infrastructure, propane is a popular option that many see as offering cost savings and a cleaner ride than diesel. The Alternative Fuels Data Center reports that propane emits lower carbon content than diesel and conventional gasoline and lower GHG. Scott Darnell, transportation supervisor for Necedah Schools in Wisconsin, wants other districts to know about his positive experience with propane buses. The district has five propane and eight diesel buses. Darnell said the propane buses use about four times less oil than a diesel bus—7 quarts versus 7 gallons—and the filters are about $25 cheaper for propane buses. The diesel buses need to be plugged in overnight during winter to heat them, whereas propane do not. As a result, he said propane buses have saved the district $3,000 on energy so far. He added that switching to propane has lowered maintenance costs by simplifying maintenance needs. “Our shop handles preventive maintenance, basic wiring of lights when needed, and door motors. We also change our own tires when needed,” said Darnell, adding that their bus fleet is not large enough to have engine analyzers or a monthly subscription for such programs. “We feel the move to clean energy will help in many ways. Longer life in our engines, and lowered costs in routine maintenance, fuel, and savings on our building energy bills.” Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) adopted 171 new
propane autogas buses—Blue Bird Type C equipped with ROUSH CleanTech propane fuel systems—to replace aging diesel buses. The district reported a 60 percent savings on fuel, and drivers and students noted quieter, cleaner rides.
24 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2021
“In an effort to make fueling convenient and to control costs, KCPS elected to build a propane fueling station,” reads a case study from the Missouri Propane Educa- tion and Research Council. “A propane station costs less than any other fuel source, including diesel, gas- oline, CNG and electric. The district’s station includes an 18,000-gallon, above-ground tank located on school grounds, within the gates of the bus barn. The pumps can refill four buses at one time, making fueling a quick and easy experience.” The district also locked in a fuel contractor with a provider, meaning stable and afford- able fuel prices. Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech also announced last month that 2022 model-year propane and gasoline school buses will be equipped with the new Ford 7.3L V8 engine, which offers 350 hp. Ryan Zic, vice president of school bus sales for ROUSH
CleanTech, which noted that district mechanics can typically easily handle the routine maintenance needs of propane buses, like fuel filters, oil changes, spark plugs, and air filters. ROUSH offers self-led interactive techni- cian training and live virtual training at no cost to school districts or public service centers, Zic added. “Propane buses have less routine maintenance and com-
mon repairs than diesel buses due to the clean operating nature of the fuel and less complex emissions systems,” said Zic. “There are no costly after-treatment systems, which eliminates components like diesel particulate filters, EGR coolers and the whole array of SCR parts. School districts around the nation report substantial savings in maintenance and cost per mile with propane buses.” He added that while electric buses have the lowest
routine maintenance and can be very reliable in an appropriate application, they do carry the highest cost of components, if repairs are required. On the other hand, Zic said “an unexpected benefit”
of propane buses is they “are clean to work on, too. With virtually no carbon buildup or dripping fuel, technicians are pleasantly surprised by the lack of harmful, messy substances they have to deal with during their work. Plus, propane school buses don’t have any issues operating in extreme cold weather and warm up quickly, saving dis- tricts time and money on equipment and staff.” ●
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