Broward County Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in Florida, has acquired 98 school buses powered by propane autogas. The vehicles are Blue Bird Corp. buses that feature autogas systems from ROUSH CleanTech.
Each bus will displace about 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel and travel about 17,000 miles per year. With the cost of propane – which is ‘substantially less than their diesel cost’ – the district expects a six-month return on investment on the incremental cost of the propane buses.
‘We'll be using these buses for our high-mileage routes due to the substantial cost and maintenance savings,’ says Pat Snell, director of student transportation and fleet services for Broward County Public Schools.
The buses were purchased from Florida Transportation Systems, the authorized Blue Bird dealer in Florida. The Blue Bird propane Visions each feature a 100-gallon extended-range propane tank that provides a 93-usable-gallon capacity.
Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech will begin delivering the buses to Broward County Public Schools next month for operation for the 2014-2015 school year.
