A Holiday Gift That Keeps on Giving: Propane School Buses
With the holidays upon us, it’s hard to believe that we are ready to put a bow on 2018. It’s been quite a year of unpredictability — from extreme weather to fluctuating fuel prices to divisive politics.
One issue that should get no argument is our nation’s investment in education. I believe we must continue to focus our attention toward educating our future leaders in order to maintain our leadership position as a country.
Here’s a fact: The ratio of students to teachers has increased. In addition to reports from the National Center for Education Statistics, many of us have experienced it directly with our own kids in school. We must find a way to drive that percentage lower to ensure more quality interaction between student and teacher.
The question is, how do we pay for it?
There is no silver bullet, but one readily available, proven solution is by reducing school transportation costs and putting that money back into the classroom. According to a 2018 World LP Gas Association report, U.S. school districts could hire a substantial amount of teachers, perhaps as many as 23,000, if all the nation’s diesel school buses were converted to propane autogas.
Propane autogas has emerged as the clear leader for student transportation. More than 1 million kids ride daily in these safe, reliable and clean buses. Propane buses have the lowest emissions profile of any commercially viable solution and, even more importantly for school district budgets, they reduce costs. Most of our school district and contractor partners save at least $3,000 per bus per year in fuel and maintenance costs. It adds up quickly.
Here’s another fact: It costs all of us taxpayers $960 to transport each public-school student to school annually. How much lower could that number be with buses operating on a domestic fuel that’s half the cost and reduces maintenance? Couple that with the available VW settlement funding that can accelerate the replacement curve and even Santa would approve!
Have a safe and Happy Holiday season and I look forward to connecting in 2019!
