Celebrating Our Independence
July already — the perfect time to slow down, enjoy some sun and fun, and celebrate our nation’s independence.
Speaking of independence, July is also a month when students and school districts enjoy summer break. I’d like to take a moment to thank every person involved in the student transportation industry. They are the unsung heroes, safely transporting 26 million students to and from school each day. And, recently, a study from the Propane Education & Research Council stated that almost a million of those students are riding in clean-burning propane school buses.
The use of propane autogas and other domestic energy sources, such as natural gas, gives our nation independence from imported oil. More than 90 percent of the United States propane autogas supply is produced domestically, with an additional 7 percent from Canada. It also provides independence from the complexity of the modern diesel engine. To meet federal emission standards, a diesel bus has more than 15 additional parts that need to be maintained. They include diesel particulate filters, manual regeneration and diesel exhaust fluid, and other complex after-treatment devices.
Curt Benassi, transportation supervisor of Minnesota’s Proctor Public Schools, said that his school district’s propane buses have been simpler, cheaper and faster to maintain compared with its diesel buses. I’m sure I’m going to be hearing more testimonies like his later this week at the STN Expo Conference and Trade Show in Reno. Look for us in Blue Bird’s booth No. 521.
As oil prices continue to climb, propane pricing is very stable and predictable due to the decades of supply we have in our country. Give us a call at 800.59.ROUSH to learn how more than 800 school districts and 550 commercial and government fleets have transitioned to this cleaner, lower cost and domestic energy source.
Enjoy the long, sunny days of July!
