Snyder Bus Lines LLC, a Pennsylvania-based transportation company offering private charters and serving school districts in Bedford, Fulton and Somerset counties, says it will be adding more propane autogas school buses to its existing fleet of alt-fuel vehicles.
With propane school buses, Snyder is proving that eco-friendly practices not only benefit the environment, but also sustain a family business. The rural school bus contractor, which serves three school districts, maintains a fleet of around 40 school buses. Over 30 are powered by propane autogas, using ROUSH CleanTech systems.
“Propane buses have sustained our family business, offering reliability, cost-efficiency and environmental benefits,” says Jennifer Snyder, co-owner of the company. “I’m not sure we would have stayed open through the pandemic without the fuel’s operational savings.”
The company purchases used propane buses that allow reinvestment in business growth. Its oldest Blue Bird Vision Type C propane bus is still operational with few maintenance requirements. Today, nearly all routes in the Everett and Bedford school districts operate on propane.
“Propane buses are the greatest thing that’s ever happened to us,” says Corey Snyder, co-owner of the company, which has been family-owned since the 1940s. “They’re truly a great fit for us.”
Snyder partners with AmeriGas, a Pennsylvania-based propane supplier, to supply its two 1,000-gallon on-site propane stations. The company currently pays $1.50 per gallon for propane before applying the federal alternative fuel tax credit, which reduces per gallon costs by an additional $0.37. The firm estimates that it will use around 130,000 gallons of propane this school year.
Propane buses offer substantial savings in maintenance and operational costs compared with traditional diesel buses, which rely on costly particulate filters and consume more oil. “Our mechanics love them,” said Corey Snyder. “Their cost of operation compared to our diesel buses is amazing. There are definitely fewer maintenance issues with our propane buses than the typical diesel bus.”
Looking ahead, Corey and Jennifer Snyder plan to continue expanding their propane fleet while maintaining a few diesel buses. About 1,400 propane school buses are in operation across Pennsylvania and more than 22,000 in the U.S.
