Everyone’s experience on the job is different, but, in general, careers tend to progress along a common path: As people master a skill, they move ahead.
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System has converted more than a third of its minibus and paratransit fleet to propane autogas, and is happy with the reduced environmental impact and low maintenance requirements of the vehicles, says a Straight Talk video released by PERC, the Propane Education & Research Council.
When it came time for the Barnesville Exempted Village School District to replace its aging fleet of diesel buses, district leaders had options about what kind of fuel the new buses would use. A $201,000 Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant from the federal government, which covered 90 percent of the cost, led them to look at compressed natural gas or propane. Barnesville just missed out a DERG from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which would have covered 100 percent of the costs.
Timing is everything, and in my last post , we touched on why now is a good time for fleet owners to transition diesel vehicles to clean-burning, American-made propane autogas. Propane can cut operating costs by an average of 40 percent compared to conventional fuels.
School districts around the U.S. are proudly making the switch to propane autogas school buses. Why? On top of offering the lowest total cost-of-ownership available and operating noticeably quieter, propane autogas buses reduce harmful emissions around students.
A 2014 investment in 18 propane-fueled buses is paying off for the Neosho School District, so much so that it is looking to add more to its fleet. The district purchased the buses about three years ago in hopes of cutting costs and helping the environment.
In 2016, we held 79 training sessions, taught at 226 locations and instructed 745 technicians about propane autogas. We want to exceed those numbers this year, and we’re starting off strong.
Vehicles equipped with propane autogas fuel systems made a strong showing at NTEA’s Green Truck Summit and Work Truck Show. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) presented a session entitled “Propane Autogas – A Viable Economic Solution for Emissions Reduction” and featured two propane autogas-powered trucks in its booth.
VW Update: Trustee Selected
VW funding just took another step closer to becoming available! Announced last week, Wilmington Trust has been designated the trustee that will oversee the administration of the Volkswagen Settlement funds. This starts the states’ timeline, as they must choose a beneficiary within the next 60 days. For some states, this will be an easy decision and for others, they will be working hard over the next couple months to determine the lead agency.
While the beneficiaries are being determined, it is important for you to reach out to your potential agency and introduce yourself (if you haven’t already done so). You can find a list of potential beneficiaries that we have compiled online here. Once the beneficiaries are in place, they will have a couple months to produce a draft plan for how they will use the funds.
Once draft plans are published, that will be the time you need to respond to the proposed program for your state and comment whether you feel they are using the funds adequately or not. Written responses are imperative at this stage, because that is what will drive any changes to the final state plans.
If you need help writing language either in support or recommending changes to the proposed plan, please reach out to Chelsea Uphaus at chelsea.uphaus@roush.com or 734-466-6710 to discuss.
The trustee being nominated is a huge step in the right direction. We feel that we may see funds as early as this fall based on the timelines each state is working within.
In the News
We want to help promote your customers’ experience with propane! Coverage in industry trade publications about the benefits of propane autogas helps school bus operators and school districts make informed decisions about alternative fuels. A consistent, ongoing presence in these publications raises awareness and reaches key decision makers that can lead directly to purchases.
Press releases, focusing on new products and services, are one way to build a presence in industry trade media. We’ve seen success already with a number of your peers, including Blue Bird Bus Sales of Pittsburgh, Holland Bus Company, and Blanchard Power Systems writing press releases about their customers’ adoption of propane autogas. Just last year alone, we secured over 100 stories using press releases written and distributed, in whole or in part, by ROUSH CleanTech.
Another way is through feature articles. Publications release annual editorial calendars that outline the topics they’ll cover each month. At the start of each year, we partner with TSN Communications to identify the opportunities where we can best provide valuable insights about everything related to propane autogas and its benefits to school bus fleet operators and school districts. We contact editors with strong, non-promotional, fact-based media pitches.
Every year we place expert bylined articles in industry trade publications and we participate in dozens of media interviews. But we can only do this with your help.
Do you have a compelling story about how you helped transition a school bus fleet to propane autogas? Do you have facts and figures about a school district experiencing direct benefits from propane autogas? If so, we want to hear from you. Please contact Chelsea Uphaus (Chelsea.uphaus@roush.com) to learn how you can participate.
