Posted on 10/29/2015 2:13:18 PM PDT by thackney
Drivers say Roanoke County schools’ new fleet of propane school buses are like driving a luxury car.
“It’s like stepping out of a Pinto into a Cadillac, as far as what we’ve been used to as drivers,†said Myron Powell, a bus driver and the Glenvar lot attendant. “This is a very easy driving experience.â€
Powell showed off one of the county’s 10 new buses that will hit the road this week, part of a pilot program to see how propane buses perform in Roanoke County.
The school district is Southwest Virginia’s first to switch to propane buses, a move intended to achieve cost-savings and cleaner emissions.
On the outside, the buses look identical to traditional yellow school buses, except for stickers on the side and back identifying the bus as propane-powered, and the Blue Bird logo on the front identifying the bus manufacturer. When they’re powered up, though, the propane buses are significantly quieter and run without the smell that’s associated with diesel vehicles.
“It is a milestone,†said David Wymer, chairman of the school board, adding that the new buses would “not only reduce operating costs but also be a plus to the environment.â€
The county paid about $100,000 for each of the buses, which were bought from Salem-based Carter Machinery, a Blue Bird dealer. The propane buses are about $10,000 more expensive than diesel buses, but the district anticipates operating costs will be $5,000 less per year, so each bus will break even in two years.
The propane buses are expected to be easier to maintain than diesel buses. Mike Stovall, Roanoke County’s transportation supervisor, believes the new buses will get better mileage, too. On the environmental side, the manufacturer says propane buses produce up to 24 percent less in greenhouse gas emissions.
The idea for the buses came from a national school board member conference that Wymer and Stovall, then a county school board member, attended. The pair got a tour of one of the buses and came back inspired to bring the buses to Roanoke County, Stovall said.
The big question was whether propane buses would have the power necessary to handle some of the county’s steeper roads.
“The one thing we have that other school divisions don’t have are the elevations, the terrain,†Stovall said.
All the district’s tests indicate the propane buses can handle the elevation here, but those concerns are why they decided to put the pilot program in Glenvar, where routes along sections of Virginia 311 are among the steepest in the county.
“We’ll put it to the test,†Stovall said.
If the pilot program is successful, the district plans to add more propane buses over time to replace its older buses . Aside from the cost savings, drivers and administrators say the new buses will be safer rides because the quieter engines will make it easier for drivers to concentrate. If a driver needs to talk to a student, he or she won’t have to raise his or her voice or use a microphone (though the buses are equipped with those).
“It’s much easier to interact with students,†Powell said. “You can hear much easier.â€
In before the obligatory Hank Hill reference ......
Wasn’t it T. Boone Pickens that wanted more use of propane?
If you wanna stay warm
With your buds in the dorm....
PROPANE!
If you wanna get hot
And not pay a lot......
PROPANE!
It ain’t high!
It ain’t high!
It ain’t high!
PROPANE!.....................
(With apologies to J.J. Cale & Eric Clapner).................
T. Boone Pickens has been pushing Natural Gas as Vehicle Fuel.
https://www.cleanenergyfuels.com/about-us/history/
†We can’t read the damn†article because of all the damn ‒sÂ
You can try the link.
the complaint was not to you
the presence of the †‘s is ubiquitous today for some reason
good deal, we’ve got lots of gas
This is news? I remember whole fleets of propane operated vehicles from fifty years ago!
New for Southwest Virginia school district.
Propane is used many places for fuel. But it isn’t common.
They were paying people to take propane in western Canada back in June.
Abundant supply, NG liquid.
Clean fuel.
42 cents per gallon wholesale, TX, March of 2014 it was $1.48 per gallon.
We used to have a Minneapolis Moline tractor that was 78 hp stock.
It had been converted to propane with different heads and some plumbing that resulted in pumping the power up to 92 hp.
We sold it to a guy who ran an irrigation pump with its PTO. Just hooked it to a 500 gal propane tank and let ‘er run for days on end.
“like stepping out of a Pinto into a Cadillac, as far as what we’ve been used to as drivers,†said Myron Powell, a bus driver and the Glenvar lot attendant. “This is a very easy driving”
The difference between driving the same platform with liquified gas engine vs other fuels should be negligible.
“We used to have a Minneapolis Moline tractor......”
My great uncle had a Case 930 that was propane from the factory. Great machine. I’ve never seen such clean used motor oil, LP really burns clean. It had a large tank behind the seat that a young man could climb easily if an angry sow was after him......or so I’m told.
That was prettg bad yet I chuckled.
I recall several pumpers in a local oil patch that had their gas 350 Chevy’s converted to propane. Back then a gas engine’s life was about a hundred thousand miles. With propane they doubled the life. The oil never seemed to get dirty. Started easy in subzero temps.
For those who know Canada, (I don’t), what are the best parts / areas for jobs, living, etc.
The new liberal prime minister notwithstanding, that is.
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