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PERC honors four autogas fleets at BusCon

October 7, 2019 By    

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) presented four transit fleets with the ninth annual Top User of Propane Autogas award at the BusCon Expo in Indianapolis.

From left Greg Zilberfarb – representing the Propane Education & Research Council, Richard Jones – representing Davidson County Transportation System, Happy Fox – representing Alliance AutoGas. Photo courtesy of Alliance AutoGas

From left are Greg Zilberfarb, representing the Propane Education & Research Council; Richard Jones, representing Davidson County Transportation System; and Happy Fox, representing Alliance AutoGas. Photo courtesy of Alliance AutoGas

The 2019 award recipients are Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, represented by Paul Murphy; Forest Preserves of Cook County in Cook County, Illinois, represented by Thomas Thompson; Volusia County Transit in Dayton, Florida, represented by Robert Stephens and Rick Kazawitch; and Davidson County Transportation System in Lexington, North Carolina, represented by Richard Jones.

The award celebrates fleets creating healthier environments for riders and communities by using autogas.

“We are proud to honor these fleets not only as top users of propane autogas, but as fleets that are committed to bettering the environment and providing safe, clean and reliable transportation for their communities,” says Michael Taylor, director of autogas business development at PERC. “Propane autogas can provide many advantages and benefits, including the lowest total cost of ownership, reduced emissions and reliable performance, to help both private and public fleets provide better service for taxpayers and clients.”

Acadia National Park operates 21 Hometown Trolley buses, 12 ElDorado MSTIIs and two Ford F-550s. Over the 20 years the Island Explorer has been in business, conservationists estimate it has reduced carbon emissions by over 27,000 tons and has prevented nearly 41 tons of smog-causing pollutants emitted by over 2.9 million private vehicles.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County manages the largest forest preserve district in the United States, with nearly 70,000 acres of land for visitors to explore. The department operates several propane-powered vehicles including 15 Ford Interceptors, four transit vans and one passenger van. The fleet also includes 41 large riding rotary propane-powered lawn mowers.

The Volusia County Transit provides a demand-response complimentary ADA paratransit service seven days per week within the urban areas of Volusia County. Starting in 2015, the fleet began running propane-powered paratransit buses in the community. Today, the fleet has expanded to four Ford E-450 Turtle Top paratransit vehicles in operation. The county also uses propane to heat its maintenance shop and operate its forklifts.

The Davidson County Transportation System fleet, an Alliance AutoGas customer, is on the road 12 hours a day, five days a week, providing rides for passengers. Currently, the fleet operates four propane-powered Ford E-450 light transit vehicles on its routes, with plans to add three more vehicles to the fleet in the near future.

“It’s very exciting to be awarded by PERC,” says Richard Jones, the transportation director for Davidson County Transportation System. “Davidson County has made great strides over the past few years in making resources available for the autogas program. We consider our county to be a leader in best practices for the fleet community, and I am grateful for the resources Alliance AutoGas has provided us. I look forward to helping Davidson County expand the autogas program in the future.”

*Featured photo courtesy of Propane Education & Research Council

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About the Author:

Joe McCarthy was an associate editor at LP Gas Magazine.

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