lower fuel and maintenance costs. Blue Bird, which man- ufactures Vision propane buses, notes that the fuel costs 30 percent to 40 percent less than diesel or gasoline, and is domestically sourced. Blue Bird data shows diesel buses getting about 7.5 miles per gallon, and propane buses 4.5 miles per gallon. While the the cost per mile of propane (54 cents) is nearly three times that of electricity (19 cents), it still is over 30 percent less diesel (79 cents). ROUSH CleanTech noted that customers of its propane
autogas system typically spend as little as 34 cents per mile. “When it comes to fuel economy, you will see lower
miles per gallon on propane compared to diesel because of the energy/BTU content of the fuel itself,” said Chelsea Uphouse, the company’s director of marketing. “While the mpg with propane is slightly less than diesel, there are other data points that transportation directors typically use to calculate their total cost of ownership. Cost per mile, annual fuel savings and maintenance expenses all play a large role in the overall savings equation.” A ROUSH CleanTech case study highlights Indian River
County School District in Florida, where the entire 83-bus fleet is fueled by propane. “Propane outperforms diesel in
every area except miles per gallon. But the fuel and main- tenance savings more than make up for that,” said Gary Crumbacker, Indian River’s warehouse foreman. Dekalb Central Schools in Indiana gets about 4 miles
per gallon with its 56 propane Type C buses. “That may seem low, but the usable energy for a gallon of propane is much less than a gallon of diesel,” said Director of Trans- portation Grant Treesh, adding additional savings are expected once the propane fueling infrastructure is paid off, minus a monthly surcharge to the fuel provider.
CNG Makes a Last Stand? Electric isn’t the only way to increase fuel efficiency. Jordan School District in Utah’s Salt Lake basin has
achieved major greenhouse gas emissions reductions and received awards for its CNG fleet. It has 121 CNG buses as part of its 273-bus fleet serving almost 16,000 students a day across 67 schools and 182 square miles. Jordan was an early adopter, as the district “took the
leap” to try CNG in the mid-1990s with dual-fuel buses that ran on CNG and gasoline, Transportation Director Paul Bergera said.
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