Blue Bird Corp. has delivered a fleet of 38 near-zero emission propane-powered buses to the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) in Pennsylvania, serving about 200,000 students in 218 schools, to help the district achieve clean student transportation.
SDP has purchased the vehicles through Blue Bird’s school bus dealer, Brightbill Body Works in Lebanon, PA. Blue Bird also manufactures and delivers hundreds of battery-electric school buses for districts nationwide.
The Type C buses can carry a maximum of 42 students for up to 300 miles on a single tank of propane gas. The buses generate 96 percent fewer harmful emissions as compared to their diesel counterparts, thus protecting student, bus driver and community health.
Moreover, the buses reduce the total cost of ownership of bus fleets, with school districts benefiting from fuel and maintenance cost savings of up to $3,700 per bus annually as compared to diesel buses. SDP’s propane-powered bus fleet is expected to save the district more than $2.1 million over the 15-year life of its vehicles.
The existing propane engine is 90 percent cleaner than the strict federal emission standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to Blue Bird. While new emission standards will be introduced in 2027, Blue Bird’s propane-powered school buses exceed the current emission standards.
Propane has a lower carbon emissions profile than diesel, which often fuels school and transit buses. A report by Argonne National Laboratory determined that propane reduced carbon monoxide emissions 20% to 40% compared with gasoline engines, while particulate matter was cut by 80%.
In a recent EnergyTech Quickchat video interview, Michael Newland, director of agricultural business development with the Propane Education and Research Council, estimated that use of propane in farming operations has topped 1 billion gallons per year.
