Arizona school district adds 73 autogas buses to its fleet

The Kyrene School District in Tempe, Ariz., now runs 85 percent of its school bus fleet on propane autogas.

The school district purchased 25 Blue Bird Vision propane-powered buses in 2014, and it added 73 more of the buses to its fleet this year. Equipped with Ford’s 6.8-liter V10 engine, the school’s 98 propane-powered buses feature Roush CleanTech propane autogas fuel systems.

Eric Nethercutt, Kyrene School District’s director of transportation and facilities, says the school district’s technicians have experienced fewer problems servicing propane-powered buses than with diesel buses.

“Working with propane is as easy as working on a gasoline engine,” he says in a press release.

The school district adds that it’s planning to install an onsite fuel station to further reduce its fuel costs. It pays an average of $1.15 per gallon for propane autogas.