A Laurel Public Schools bus navigates cows by the roadside in rural Montana. The school district has several propane and gasoline school buses but mostly relies on diesel for longer and uphill routes.
“If the lifespan of a school bus is 150,000 miles, then
[at the current cost per gallon, $67,500 for diesel and $48,000 for gasoline,” said transportation director Kevin Snowden. “A savings of $19,500 per bus in fuel and DEF costs for using gasoline. And, for a fleet of over 500 school buses, that is a lot to be saved over the lifespan of a school bus.” Replacing a diesel bus is also more expensive for the
district. A Cummins 6.7 diesel engine could run double the cost of a Ford gasoline engine, Snowden said, citing data from ROUSH CleanTech and the Alabama Depart- ment of Revenue. The district recently purchased 40 Blue Bird gasoline buses. Soon, it will be the first district in the state to buy the new Cummins octane engine, which is powering a Thomas Built Buses model. “Bottom line, a gasoline school bus is cheaper to main- tain and operate than a diesel school bus,” Snowden said. Neosho School District in Missouri has already invest-
ed heavily in gasoline. The fleet includes 36 unleaded gasoline buses along with 16 propane and eight diesel. Maintenance costs for the three types of buses are simi- lar, but the gasoline units are the least expensive to fuel. “On average, for the 2025-2026 school year we spend $2.05 per gallon for unleaded buses, $2.42 per gallon for diesel buses and $2.52 per gallon for propane buses,” said transportation director Scott Quinly. Propane has increased about a dollar per gallon in the past year, Quinly said, and propane costs are higher in the winter since public demand is greater given that many households rely on propane for heat. “Think of supply and demand,” Quinly said, noting that
maintenance costs for batteries, windshield wipers and the like are also higher in winter. Propane buses do heat up more quickly, a welcome
attribute in winter, but “the wear and tear on a propane bus is much greater than that of a gasoline or diesel bus,” Quinly said.
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