Michigan school district rolls out propane-powered buses

Michigan’s Waterford School District added 10 Blue Bird Vision buses to its fleet. Photo courtesy of Roush CleanTech

Michigan’s Waterford School District added 10 school buses powered by propane autogas to its fleet this week.

The Blue Bird Vision buses are fitted with Roush CleanTech propane fuel systems. According to Roush, the Waterford School District joined almost 30 other school districts in Michigan that operate Blue Bird Vision buses.

“Prior to joining WSD [Waterford School District], I had a very positive experience with propane-fueled buses,” says Keith Wunderlich, superintendent for the Waterford School District. “School buses operating on propane are environmentally friendly and reliable in cold-weather conditions, plus offer cost-saving benefits.”

The district’s propane-powered buses emit 80 percent less smog-producing hydrocarbons and virtually eliminate particulate matter when compared with diesel, Roush CleanTech says. In addition, the propane bus fleet will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by about 10,000 pounds and particulate matter by 315 pounds each year compared with the diesel buses they replaced.

“Waterford School District joins hundreds of school districts across America making the decision to find fuel alternatives for their buses,” says Brian Carney, executive director of school bus and customer support for Roush CleanTech. “Propane is a proven choice that costs about 50 percent less than diesel per gallon and reduces maintenance costs due to its clean-operating properties.”

Roush CleanTech says it has deployed almost 14,000 propane vehicles – with more than half of them school buses – to fleets across the United States since 2010. Its propane autogas fuel systems are Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board certified.