Georgia School Rolls Out 90 New Propane Buses With Three-Point Seat Belts

As the school year begins, Georgia’s Fulton County School System has rolled out a new fleet of 90 Blue Bird propane autogas-fueled school buses equipped with three-point seat belts. It is the largest fleet of its kind in the state. The district said it chose the buses for their safety and environmental and economic benefits. The 72-passenger propane buses will begin operation in the 2017-2018 school year.

“Our new Blue Bird propane buses with three-point seat belts meet our goal to provide the safest and most efficient transportation service for our community,” said Sam Ham, executive director of transportation at Fulton County Schools. “We are the first district in Georgia with three-point seat belts on a regular-route Type C bus. And with propane, we expect to save $3500 in fuel and maintenance costs per bus, per year. That’s $315,000 that can be allocated elsewhere, like back in the classrooms.”

The fleet also marks the 10,000th propane school bus manufactured by Fort Valley, Ga.-based Blue Bird Corp. “This propane bus purchase is a milestone for Fulton County Schools as well as for Blue Bird as we celebrate our 10,000th Blue Bird Vision propane bus in operation,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird. “These propane school buses run on clean fuel, reduce emissions transmitted into the air, and keep our students even safer with our newest feature, the NextGen Blue Bird Seat.”

Equipped with Ford Motor Co.’s 6.8-liter, V-10 engine, each Blue Bird Vision bus is equipped with a Roush CleanTech propane fuel system. The engine is certified to the California Air Resources Board’s optional low-nitrogen oxide (NOx) level of .05 grams per brake horsepower per hour, making it 75% cleaner than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current emissions standard. “Fulton County Schools’ adoption of propane buses demonstrates its commitment to students, community, and taxpayers through cleaner air and reduced spending,” said Brian Carney, executive director of school bus and customer success at Roush CleanTech. “Because of their low-NOx status, propane buses like these will be eligible for funding from the Volkswagen settlement’s environmental mitigation trust, which will fund clean technology that reduces NOx emissions.

At its transportation facilities in Alpharetta and Fairburn, Fulton County Schools installed two propane refueling stations. AmeriGas, the school district’s propane partner, installed two turnkey fueling stations at no upfront cost. The district’s propane buses will lower NOx emissions by thousands of pounds each year compared with the diesel they replaced.