S
ome questions are no-brainers, but answering which fuel is best for to- day’s fleets may not be one of them. Propane and electric options continue to grow in popularity, while the old and reliable diesel now also includes biodiesel or a stand-alone, drop-in, and non-fossil fuel renewable version
(where incentive exist). At the same time, responses to environmental regs and advancements in en- gine technology are bringing new life to gasoline as a possible choice. At present, diesel is still the most common fuel choice across the country. Its long-time use at Richfield Public Schools in Richfield, Minnesota may be typical. “Our district has always used diesel buses because
they are reliable, they’re not range limited and they last, with relatively minimal maintenance costs,” said Dan Kretsinger, director of facilities and transporta- tion. He noted that the school buses typically stay in use for 10 to 12 years and then are replaced, primar- ily because of corrosion more than high mileage or excessive wear. Kretsinger hasn’t completely ruled out other fuel
options, but for now the district has no specific plans to make changes. “Depending on how it goes, we may consider
buying a couple of electric buses, but we would need major infrastructure upgrades before that could hap- pen,” he said. “Switching to gas or propane would also be challenging due to infrastructure and city require- ments for gas tanks and propane dispensers.” Richfield currently has a 10,000-gallon diesel tank and a 500-gallon gas tank, both situated underground. Transportation leaders at Ithaca City School Dis-
trict in New York, like many, have taken a diversified approach. “We started by purchasing gasoline buses instead of
diesel and when the opportunity came, we purchased three propane buses around eight years ago,” said Trans- portation Services Specialist Christopher Horstman. “Our district has always taken our carbon footprint very seriously and has researched ways to reduce it.” That included trying EVs while stepping up usage
of propane, with the purchase of five more propane models in 2023. “We learned they had the same power as a gasoline bus, the oil comes out extremely clean at 5,000 miles, and roughly the same miles per gallon,” Horstman noted. He added that one difference lies with fueling sta-
tions. Ithaca doesn’t have an onsite propane fueling station and has been utilizing a local propane com- pany to fill up at their facility. But other factors are similar. “The operation of the bus is very similar to a gas- oline bus and service is very similar in most regards outside the fuel system,” he said. Along with its investment in propane, Ithica also
decided to invest in electric buses. The move to elec- tric vehicles came with a learning curve, Horstman pointed out. Ithaca ordered its first three electric buses in 2022
receiving two of them the summer 2023. “We knew very little about the operation, range, charging, service or how to properly utilize them when we received them,” Horstman said. “We immediately implemented those two buses onto summer routes traveling rough- ly 80 miles per day and they performed well.” Ithaca received a third electric bus later that year and then ordered three more. At the same time, the need for some adjustments became apparent. “We quickly learned during these initial months that the Level 2 charging system was not sufficient enough to charge between runs to accommodate longer mileage routes in the afternoon,” Horstman noted. “And as the weather got colder in upstate New York, we learned that the bus range would be reduced dramatically.” In the summer months and into the fall, the buses ranged from 90 to 120 miles per charge, but when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees, the range fell to between 60 to 80 miles per charge. During this transition, staff held regular meetings to discuss infra- structure needs and ways to charge buses faster. “We learned that we needed more electricity
from our power company and also Level 3 chargers to charge the buses faster between runs,” Horstman said. “This conversa- tion is still ongoing today, and we continue to look for solutions that are outside the box to utilize our electric buses daily.” Looking ahead, Ithaca officials
are positive about the advantages of propane and potentially, of electric vehicles. “Currently we have an order for 11 more propane buses,and will continue to research EV buses while understanding that our current infrastructure needs to be upgraded to accommodate
38 School Transportation News • JUNE 2025
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 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
