Veteran school bus drivers Wes Troesden, left, and Eric Jones continue to rely on diesel to power their routes for Richfield Public Schools ISD 280 in Minnesota. The school district prefers diesel because of the guaranteed range for rural routes.


the Level 3 chargers,” Horstman said. “We’re commit- ted to our goal of reducing our carbon footprint, and with purchasing either propane buses or EV buses as the technology grows, we can achieve this.” Diversification is also a goal at South


Carolina’s Charleston County School Dis- trict. Traditionally relying on diesel, the 445-vehicle fleet now includes 70 propane and two CNG models and may add electric buses. As the only state where buses are issued to school districts by the state, the district has obtained 73 percent of its buses from that source. When the state received a signifi- cant number of propane buses through the Volkswagen settlement and other channels,


officials took advantage of their availability and agreed to invest in the supporting infrastructure. “Overall, the opportunity seemed logical as we upgrad- ed the overall age and status of our fleet,” said Executive Director of Transportation James Lynch. “In addition to the fleet upgrade, I wanted to diversify our fleet.” Continuing in that direction, the district is potential-


ly in line to receive five electric buses depending on the future status of the EPA Clean School Bus Program. At Maine School Administrative District 6, a total of 39 buses drive about 175 trips per day, and nearly half run on propane. Eight are gasoline buses and 12 are diesel buses for occasional extended-range sports trips or spares. Transportation Director Sarah J. Marean has been pleased with the results offered by propane.


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