Bus Sales Rockin’ in Tampa Bay
There’s no other way to say it: Propane bus sales are rockin’ in the Tampa Bay area! More than 170 buses powered by propane are operating in four school districts in the bay area. Chris Rustman and his team at Florida Transportation Systems have worked with four local school districts to add these clean-operating buses into their fleets.
These school systems are hitting the key points on what makes propane such a strong option for school buses: fuel savings, emissions reductions, and infrastructure cost and flexibility. Here’s a look at some facts from Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough and Polk school districts that you can consider when selling propane buses.
Historically, propane autogas costs up to 50 percent less than diesel. That is right in line with Pinellas’ savings of about 60 percent per gallon for propane. Pinellas is running 58 propane buses. Pasco is saving more than 55 cents per gallon compared with diesel prices. Pasco also has 58 propane buses.
Pasco’s propane school buses replaced some retiring diesel models from the early 2000s. Each year, the district’s propane-fueled fleet will emit over 72,000 fewer pounds of nitrogen oxide emissions and almost 2,000 fewer pounds of particulate matter compared with the replaced buses. Vehicles fueled by propane autogas emit 80 percent fewer smog-producing hydrocarbons and virtually eliminate particulate matter when compared to diesel.
Installing propane autogas fueling infrastructure costs less than any other transportation energy source — conventional or alternative. Pinellas and Pasco installed private fuel stations. Pasco has two stations; one with a 3,000-gallon tank and the other with a tank that holds 3,600 gallons. Pinellas installed an on-site fuel station with an 18,000-gallon tank that opened in January.
The other two districts went with other fueling options. Polk takes advantage of the propane fuel station at the local sheriff’s department for its five propane buses. Hillsborough has its propane provider supply mobile on-site fueling, or wet hosing, for its fleet of 50 propane buses.
As a part of this deployment, we joined with Chris to share this achievement with the local media and they were very excited about the story. Numerous trade publications and local newspapers picked up the story, and one television station ran a piece on the evening news.
Here are some examples of the coverage:
The ROUSH CleanTech team would like to congratulate Chris, Steve and Ross for all the work they’ve done to encourage the use of propane school buses in Florida. Keep up the great sales!
Do you have a great story about propane buses to share with your community? Email me today at brian.carney@roush.com and we can discuss the possibilities.
