The Propane Road Tour is hitting the road today sponsored by Blue Bird, a manufacturer of propane autogas powered school buses and ROUSH CleanTech. The single-bus tour will stop at iconic American landmarks on its way to deliver the last bus from the largest single order of 434 propane-fueled buses to Student Transportation of America’s (STA) new terminal in Omaha, Neb. The bus tour begins at Blue Bird’s headquarters in Fort Valley, Ga., on Thursday, July 11, and ends in Omaha on July 17, with multiple stops in Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.

“The purpose of the Propane Road Tour is to provide the opportunity for school districts and communities to learn about the outstanding benefits of using propane autogas,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Communities along the tour route, from Georgia to Omaha, have an opportunity to talk with key industry representatives about the economic, safety and environmental benefits of propane-powered school buses. This bus tour also showcases STA’s commitment to becoming a frontrunner in creating a cleaner environment for the Omaha and Millard Public School Districts that the buses will serve.”

The goal of the Propane Road Tour is to raise awareness of propane autogas as a clean, safe and efficient alternative fuel for school bus use that is more cost-effective to operate than diesel. Along the route, the bus will refuel at existing public propane autogas fuel stations.“Domestically produced, clean-burning propane autogas is a perfect fit for school fleets,” said Denis J. Gallagher, chairman and CEO of Student Transportation Inc. “This large deployment is the catalyst that alternative fuels need to become a viable and reliable fuel source for school transportation. We welcome the opportunity to showcase Omaha to the country as a model community in which private enterprise and public education can partner to create a world-class transportation system.”

Built on a Blue Bird chassis and powered by a Ford 6.8-liter V-10 engine with the ROUSH CleanTech dedicated propane autogas fuel system, the Type C school bus offers 362 horsepower, 457 pounds of torque, and fuel cost savings of 40 to 50 percent compared to diesel counterparts.

“As the leading alternative fuel system engineering company, ROUSH CleanTech is proud to partner with Blue Bird on this groundbreaking school bus order from STA,” added Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing for ROUSH CleanTech. “With more alternative fuel buses on our nation’s roads than any other manufacturer, Blue Bird is proving that propane autogas is an ideal and viable option for school districts to reduce their fuel and maintenance costs while lowering emissions.”