Propane-powered school buses to hit the road in Colorado, Pennsylvania

Student Transportation of America Inc. was tapped by two school districts to provide school transportation services using propane-powered buses.

The company signed a $6 million annual contract with Mesa County Valley School District 51 in Grand Junction, Colo., its first operation in the state, for which 92 propane-powered buses from Blue Bird Corp. will be used.

The five-year contract starts in July and provides for customer-paid fuel. The school district qualified for additional incentives that enabled School Transportation of America to lower the total cost of the proposal.

The company also signed a $3.7 million annual contract with the Pine-Richland School District in Pittsburgh to serve three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school.

The seven-year contract has the option of additional renewal years and provides for customer-paid fuel. The buses will include such safety features as GPS tracking systems, two-way radios, digital camera surveillance systems, stop-arms and Child Check-Mate systems.