Cleveland School District Replaces 49 Diesel Buses With Propane Buses

Propane Bus Tank

Last month, the sixth-largest school district in the nation announced they would be adding a sizable number of propane autogas school buses to their fleet, but they won’t be the only district with propane fueled buses when classes resume in the fall. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Ohio’s second-largest school system, announced they plan to add 49 Blue Bird Propane Vision buses this fall after the construction of an on-site autogas fueling station is finished.

The buses will be replacing 12- to 13- year-old diesel buses slated for retirement with the new propane buses that are reportedly both economically and environmentally beneficial.

District administrators say the chose the propane autogas buses because of the short return on investment, ease of fueling, and low infrastructure costs, but they also cited the surprising decrease in electricity bills that accompany the alternative fuel buses. In total, the district estimates they will save about $50,000 in electrical costs that previously powered block heaters to keep diesel buses warm enough to start in the winter.

The district is working to slowly make their fleet more economically and environmentally friendly by gradually replacing aging buses, but you don’t have to wait for your bus to be put out of commission to start planning on transitioning to alternative fuels. We can replace the engine and relating mechanical systems of any bus with ease, so your bus can see all the benefits that Cleveland Metropolitan School District in anticipating.