What Makes Bus 789 Different?
The Blue Bird school bus that picked up Glen Burnie public school students on November 3 was an innovation, though its riders may not have noticed. What makes it different from any other Type C school bus is what goes in the tank: propane auto gas. Bus No. 789, the newest in contractor Randall Jubb’s Bus Service, Inc.’s fleet, is Maryland’s first school bus fueled by propane.
Commonly used as a home energy source for heating and cooking, propane is also an efficient fuel on the road, fueling vehicles from U-Haul trucks to police cars. Maryland has 18 public propane pumping stations. Blue Bird, an American company in the school bus business since 1927, now sells its third generation of propane auto gas-fueled buses, equipped with Ford 6.8-liter V10 engines.
An alternative fuel to diesel, propane may prove to be both cost efficient and environmentally friendly.
“Propane is a naturally clean-burning fuel because it has fewer carbon elements,” says Trey Jenkins, vice president of alternative fuels at Blue Bird.
Unlike its diesel counterpart, a propane-fueled engine has virtually no carbon buildup or sludge, Jenkins explains. So propane buses would need less maintenance, potentially cutting costs.
Each propane bus would save a conservative average of $2,000 to $3,000 per bus per year, Jenkins estimates.
Liquid propane auto gas, manufactured by ROUSH CleanTech, costs $1 per gallon while diesel costs $2.75 a gallon. But “the energy content of diesel is greater than propane,” according to ROUSH’s Todd Mouw, so propane buses will have to refuel more often.
The Propane Vision Blue Bird is also said to heat up quicker and run quieter than a diesel-fueled bus. A quieter bus makes it easier for drivers to hear their passengers.
Bus No. 789 carries Anne Arundel County students on field trips or fills in as a substitute.
It is Jubb’s first propane bus, part of the company’s “pilot program” to track fuel mileage, costs and repairs in preparation for the planned 12-year expansion of his bus fleet by 17 or 18 propane school buses.
“I don’t see why we can’t use stuff that we have here in the U.S. as a way to power buses,” said Anne Arundel school bus contractor Jubb.