Central Texas school district adds autogas buses

The Leander Independent School District in Leander, Texas, added 24 new propane-fueled school buses to its fleet for the 2016-17 school year, according to the Hill Country (Cedar Park, Texas) News.

The addition brings the Leander school district’s total number of autogas buses to 64, the newspaper reports. The district retired 20 of its diesel buses in exchange for 20 new Blue Bird Propane Vision buses that are powered with a Ford 6.8-liter V10 engine that’s equipped with a Roush CleanTech autogas fuel system. The school district is also receiving four propane-powered special education buses.

The school district received a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality financial grant that rebated 60 percent of the purchase price, according to the Hill Country News. The Leander school district pays 73 cents per gallon for autogas compared with $1.50 per gallon for diesel. In addition, the school district received a 50-cent-per-gallon federal tax rebate for its alternative fuel vehicles last year, and it expects to receive a 36-cent-per-gallon rebate this school year.