Everyone Likes a Comeback Story
Dear Friends of ROUSH CleanTech,
The headlines about Detroit’s bankruptcy hit close to home. And, although the city may be plagued by the bad news, it’s not alone in the struggle with budget shortfalls and layoffs. Cities and counties across the United States are faced with a similar dilemma of reduced tax revenue, increasing pension liabilities, and expectations for service from current residents.
One of my favorite quotes is from Charles Darwin:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
The good news is that we have a solution. We are working hard to innovate American-made products that will help Detroit’s economy while providing an affordable, alternative transportation solution to public and private fleets nationwide.
Take, for instance, the success of propane autogas powered school buses. Numerous school districts are exploring and purchasing these alternative fueled buses for their fleets — and saving around $3,500 per year per bus in fuel costs alone.
In Nebraska, Omaha and Millard Public Schools have launched a fleet of more than 430 propane autogas school buses with transportation provider Student Transportation Inc. We applaud their commitment to lower both fuel costs and carbon emissions. Fueling with propane autogas costs about 50 percent less per gallon than diesel and offers reduced maintenance. The cost savings for Omaha are enormous when compared to their former diesel fleet.
Here are some other school bus savings from coast to coast:
Connecticut’s Shelton Public Schools: calculates $180,000 in fuel-cost savings per year with 60 buses.
Missouri’s Fort Zumwalt School District: estimates $90,000 annual savings with 22 buses.
Portland Public Schools: expects $500,000 to $700,000 savings in fuel and maintenance expenses with 86 buses.
Along with our partner Blue Bird, we continue to deliver new and innovative products to the expanding school bus market. Our customers told us they love the benefits of propane autogas, but want more range. We listened and delivered. Blue Bird unveiled the new extended range tank option for the Propane-Powered Vision at last month’s School Transportation News Expo. Read more about this fuel tank option — the industry’s largest — below.
There are more than 480,000 school buses nationwide. Think about the economic impact over the next decade as we replace those with clean-burning and lower-cost propane autogas powered Blue Bird buses. That is $1.7 billion dollars that can be pumped back into local economies for more jobs, infrastructure, and the improvement of the education system.
Give me a call today at 800.59.ROUSH to find out why the Blue Bird Propane-Powered Vision is the fastest growing school bus in the alternative fuel industry and learn more about the good news coming from the Motor City.
Sincerely,
Todd Mouw
