First, CleanFuel USA is making huge inroads in Texas, outfitting several school districts across the state with autogas school buses and fueling infrastructure. In August, they announced 37 new or expanded contracts with Texas independent school districts for autogas refueling infrastructure equipment, including Austin ISD, Houston ISD and Arlington ISD. Meanwhile, Dallas County Schools switched 53 Type A school buses to run on propane autogas.

According to the article in School Bus Fleet magazine, “Dallas County Schools has been utilizing propane as an alternative fuel for more than 10 years, saving approximately $1.5 million in fuel costs annually, officials said. The new propane buses are anticipated to save the school district more than $200,000 per year.”

Another propane-powered school bus fleet making recent headlines is the District 112 fleet in Minnesota, which saved $67,000 on fuel costs last year running 18 out of 102 buses on clean propane autogas. Transportation Coordinator John Thomas said the school district chose autogas because “the LPG buses seemed like a solid alternative to diesel buses that could help us save money over time and make for a greener environment.”

And just last week, a Florida school district shared its plans to switch school buses to American-made propane autogas. Hernando County School District is still currently testing out an autogas-powered bus on a few high school bus routes, but something tells me once they’ve experienced the benefits of running on autogas, the traditional gasoline school buses in their fleet will be a thing of the past.
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Blue Bird Corp. is one of the most widely known manufacturer of alt fuel buses in the country. They work with schools across the country to implement  clean-burning propane autogas Type C yellow school buses into their fleet. For example, the state of Indiana recently announced the deployment of five Blue Bird propane-powered buses by the Tippecanoe School Corporation. While there will be some difference in fuel economy, as of May officials said they were paying $2 per gallon less for autogas versus diesel.

One key environmental advantage of propane autogas vehicles are the dramatic reductions in harmful pollutants like NOx, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter – the latter being the major cause of smog in metropolitan areas. By switching to cleaner fuels like propane autogas, school districts are not only saving money – but helping to clean up the air for future generations.