Otsego switches to propane buses to save money

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File photo. Otsego High
School.

TONTOGANY – You might say that the busing situation at Otsego Local Schools is a "gas."
On Monday the district officially began using five propane-fueled buses expected to save tens of
thousands of dollars.
"We expect the fuel savings to be over $40,000 annually," said Superintendent Adam Koch in an
email interview with the Sentinel. "The maintenance costs are expected to be cut in half over the
lifetime of the propane buses compared to the diesel buses as well."
The five propane buses, costing $89,000 each, will make up more than a third of Otsego’s 14-bus fleet.
They are being dispatched on the district’s longest bus routes and will travel more than 115,000 miles
each year.
"Our goal is to eventually have 100 percent of the fleet be powered by propane. We have written
several grants the past three years for propane school buses and will continue to pursue these avenues
to fund propane school buses in the future."
Despite the change in fuel, the buses themselves don’t look any different than conventional yellow buses.

Otsego isn’t alone in making the move – Delta Schools and Wood Lane Industries are among those in the
area that have begun using propane buses. Koch said Otsego moved forward with the plan because they
hadn’t bought a brand-new bus since 2007.
"Our costs have sky-rocketed in the past couple of years with engine replacements, transmissions,
etc. We needed to get back on a replacement cycle. It is our responsibility to provide a safe and
reliable means of transportation for our families, and updating our fleet is a necessity."
The new buses, Koch said, are also greener, noting they feature "significantly lower bus emissions,
providing for a healthier environment in the passenger cabin for students as well as for the communities
in which the vehicles travel."
"The drivers are very excited to drive the safe and reliable propane buses," said Eva Vasher,
Otsego’s transportation supervisor. "Safety is important to everyone at Otsego and the new propane
buses are quieter, which makes for better communication to the students, and the exterior LED lights
make for better visibility on the roadways."
Koch noted that the miles per gallon on the propane vehicles is a little lower than the other buses.
"A drawback can be the miles per gallon that a propane bus gets compared to a diesel," he said.
"Our diesel buses get just six miles per gallon and propane buses are expected to get a little over
five miles per gallon. The savings of $40,000 accounts for the lower miles per gallon. New technology
with the 2015 models of propane buses and our flat terrain could have a positive impact on the miles per
gallon we achieve, which would result in an even higher annual savings."

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