The first run of Blue Bird’s newest green solution, the Propane-Powered Micro Bird Type A school bus, has received certification and is preparing to hit the streets.
After going through extensive testing over the last several months of 2010, the company announced that the new Type A alternatively-fueled bus was ready to start ferrying students while decreasing the affect on local air quality.
The newest Micro Bird is a second propane-powered offering from Blue Bird, with its Type C Vision already busing children to and from school even in some of the harsher climates across the country.
“With four Blue Bird propane-powered buses in the fleet and 22,000 miles on each bus, we have had zero mechanical issues,” said Fred Prince with Wayne Central Schools located in Ontario Center, N.Y. “Cold starts are not a problem with the propane bus.”
Last year, Collins Bus Corporation was the first to make available a Type A propane school bus straight from the factory with its NexBus, which also has a hybrid cousin. Thomas Built Buses is also working on introducing a propane-fueled school bus in 2012 that, like its Saf-T-Liner C2e hybrid-electric and Saf-T-Liner HDX CNG, will help reduce emissions and lower dependence on fossil fuels, according to the company.
