Broward County Public Schools, the nation’s sixth largest school district, has purchased 98 propane autogas fueled school buses. The purchase supports the top 10 school district’s environmental stewardship program, “Learn Green. Live Green.” This is the nation’s largest single order of autogas fueled buses by a school district.

“We’ll be using these buses for our high mileage routes due to the substantial cost and maintenance savings with clean and safe autogas,” said Pat Snell, director of student transportation and fleet services for Broward County Public Schools. “Some of the savings will be funneled directly back into the classroom.”

Snell anticipates the county will see a six-month return on investment for the additional cost of the alternative fuel buses. According to Snell, the county will lock in an autogas fuel price at substantially less than their diesel cost. Historically, autogas costs about 50 percent less than diesel per gallon and reduces maintenance costs due to its clean-burning properties.

According to Snell, each bus will travel about 17,000 miles per year and each bus will displace about 40,000 gallons of diesel and emit 150,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide over their lifetime.

“School districts are eager for cleaner, lower emissions solutions that also work with their budgets. The Blue Bird Propane-Powered Vision and Micro Bird meet these needs with lower fuel and maintenance costs, decreased noise and environmental benefits,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “We applaud Broward County Public Schools for their forward-thinking leadership in the state of Florida.”

The purchase qualifies Broward County Public Schools to apply for funding through a state rebate program. The Florida incentive waives state taxes for gaseous alternative fuels, which include propane autogas and natural gas.

The school district purchased the buses from Florida Transportation Systems, the authorized Blue Bird dealer in Florida. The Blue Bird Propane-Powered Visions, each equipped with a ROUSH CleanTech fuel system, include a 100-gallon extended range tank that provides a 93-usable gallon capacity. Delivery begins in May for operation for the 2014-2015 school year.