Fort Zumwalt School District, based outside of St. Louis, recently deployed eight Vision school buses from Blue Bird Corp. that feature ROUSH CleanTech propane autogas systems.
Jeff Orr, the district's chief financial officer, says propane is more than $2.00/gallon cheaper than diesel, resulting in fuel-cost savings of about $18,000 this school year – equating to a savings of 18.9 cents per mile. Moreover, the buses produce 60%less carbon monoxide, 12% less carbon dioxide, 20% less nitrogen oxide and up to 25% less greenhouse gases, compared to gasoline.
‘The transition to propane autogas has been seamless,’ adds Jeff Schwepker, director of transportation for district. ‘Our local Blue Bird dealer, Central States Bus Sales, in addition to ROUSH CleanTech and Ferrellgas, provided ample training for our entire transportation team. We have enjoyed the performance, quietness and savings benefits.’
Schwepker notes that Fort Zumwalt will likely be adding additional propane-powered buses to its fleet.
