Derek Roch

How is it possible for trucks — or any type of vehicle for that matter — to run on propane as its main fuel source? Isn’t that for heating homes or powering generators? You’re not the first to ask!

The Hannibal School District is using funds from incentive programs like the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program and the Missouri Propane Education & Research Council to reduce its carbon footprint with propane school buses.

The Pulaski County Special School District in Arkansas is taking 20 of its older diesel school buses off the road and replacing them with new propane models. The district will receive a reimbursement of $98,000 per propane school bus (up to 20 buses) from the state’s Division of Environmental Quality. Eligible expenses include the purchase price of the new buses, delivery costs of the new buses, the cost to scrap and dispose of the buses being replaced, and taxes, if applicable. The district originally started with four propane buses, adding two each year in 2019 and 2020.

The School District of Philadelphia will expand its alternative-fueled fleet in 2023 in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. The district has purchased 38 new school buses that will run on propane autogas. Other buses in its fleet run on electricity, diesel and gasoline. The district wants to add several more propane school buses, with a projection to have as many as 70 by 2026.

Liberty Public Schools, a 17-campus district outside of Kansas City, Missouri replaced aging diesel school buses with 10 propane models as part of its commitment to asset longevity, maintenance integrity and keeping taxpayer dollars in the classroom. With the addition of the new propane buses, the district’s maintenance shop earned the fleet excellence award, which is given by the state highway patrol to school districts that are excellent at maintaining their fleet. And, within the first year of operating the propane buses, the district saved $56,562 in fuel costs.

While fleets across many industries are making the switch to electric vehicles, it’s important to remember that electrification is not the only option. As we collectively walk the path to zero emissions, propane autogas — and renewable propane, in particular — is one of the most important alternative fuels along the journey. In fact, renewable propane has a carbon intensity five times lower than diesel. Adopting propane autogas is easier than ever, and it is incentivized by state and federal tax credits and other rebate programs.

Two laws enacted within the past 12 months – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (November 2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (August 2022) – aim to advance the nation’s clean energy economy and include multiple incentives for propane.