The Kentucky Propane Education & Research Council (KYPERC) showed off the Blue Bird Propane Vision at the Kentucky School Board Association’s Summer Leadership Institute last weekend in an effort to raise awareness among school administrators from across the state. This “first” followed another last fall when the state Department of Education chose Crittenden County School District to operate a school bus fueled with propane autogas beginning in August.
“Crittenden County has taken delivery of the first propane bus in Kentucky, and we’re very excited about that opportunity. It’s a great chance to lower fuel costs and dramatically cut emissions,” said Tom Underwood, executive director of KYPERC. “They got the Blue Bird propane bus as part of a grant, and now they’re in the process of finalizing fuel contracts and getting a fuel-dispensing station installed at their depot.”
The Summer Leadership Institute, held at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington, marked the first time school board members and superintendents had a chance to test a propane autogas school bus and learn first-hand about alternative-fuel usage in school districts across Kentucky and the entire nation (see photo, above).
School district officials said the Blue Bird Propane Vision school bus cost approximately $95,000. Though a comparable diesel bus sells for about $81,000, they noted the propane bus would pay for itself by cutting fuel costs by half, as compared to diesel, during its projected 15-year life cycle.
Officials stated they used the tentative allocation of $113,000 in capital outlay funds to purchase the propane bus. While those monies could only be spent on facilities in the past, now the state permits school districts to use them for purchasing buses as well.
Slowly but surely, alternative fuel school buses have made inroads in Kentucky, which enacted a “diesel only” mandate following the 1988 Carrollton bus crash that proved highly polarizing in the industry. Even though a drunk driver caused the crash, the NTSB later would report that the lack of adequate exits and a punctured fuel tank also contributed to the mass casualties (27 total) and dozens who were injured.
Kentucky has the largest hybrid school bus fleet in the country, with more than 160 buses featuring Eaton hybrid systems. One district, Jefferson County Public Schools, acquired 50 hybrid buses, split about evenly betweenn IC Bus and Thomas Built buses, via grant support from the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition. Additionally, the Kentucky Department of Education launched a project in 2011 that introduced 213 hybrid school buses throughout the state, which at the time represented the largest hybrid electric school bus fleet in the United States.
Now, the propane rollout is generating talk. Underwood said the PERC booth received a “tremendous response” from the roughly 250 school administrators who attended the KSBA’s Summer Institute, with crowds consistent both days of the event.
“People asked many intelligent questions about the cost of operating propane buses as well as maintenance. I have four to five school districts right now that want to schedule demonstrations on their sites,” he added. “That was our first experience, and it certainly won’t be our last — we have plans to be at their national conference in Louisville at the end of January.”
