First School Buses Purchased from Volkswagen Settlement are Propane-Powered Buses Built by Blue Bird
Louisiana school district buys Blue Bird Vision Propane buses with
Environmental Mitigation Trust dollars
Louisiana is the first state to release their Volkswagen settlement fund
dollars, and Lafayette Parish Schools has become the first recipient.
Given the choice between replacing aging diesel school buses with newer
diesel models or with buses fueled by propane, this district chose to
utilize funding from the state’s Environmental Mitigation Trust to
purchase ten new Blue Bird Vision Propane school buses.
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Since the VW settlement funding was approved, officials and districts
alike have been determining where the dollars should go. Louisiana’s $18
million dollars are solely dedicated to the replacement of older diesel
school buses over the next three years. Their school districts are given
the option to replace these buses by utilizing the funds to cover 25
percent of the purchase cost of new diesel buses, or 50 percent of the
purchase cost for new propane buses.
The first school district to take advantage of Louisiana’s funds,
Lafayette Parish Schools, chose Blue Bird Vision Propane buses to
replace aging diesel buses in their fleet. “With emissions reductions
and maintenance costs in mind, we chose to purchase 10 Vision Propane
Blue Bird buses,” said Joe Craig, assistant superintendent at Lafayette
Parish Schools.
Last year, Blue Bird released the first propane engine (produced by Ford
and powered by ROUSH CleanTech’s fuel system) in a school bus
application certified at the low-NOx emissions level of 0.05 g/bhp-hr.
Today, Blue Bird now offers an ultra-low emissions level option of 0.02g
NOx, making the Blue Bird Vision Propane bus ten
times cleaner than any other make of combustion-fueled school buses.
Reaching lower emission levels allows districts more opportunities to
secure green-initiative grants, such as VW’s emissions settlement, as
well as providing higher levels of funding for vehicles with low levels
of NOx emissions.
“Because of the low NOx levels that can be reached with our propane
engines, the buses are prime for grants and funding, including funding
from VW’s Environmental Mitigation Trust,” said Todd Mouw, president of
ROUSH CleanTech.
Craig claims that the main reasons propane was chosen over diesel,
beyond the significant environmental benefits, had to do with cost
savings over time, and the options available to allow the buses to take
longer routes without the need to refuel as often as propane buses in
the past. “The cost of maintenance for propane buses is significantly
less than a diesel bus,” said Craig. “In addition, the larger, extended
range fuel tanks being offered for these buses means we only have to
refill our propane buses once a week on average.”
“As the first recipient of VW funds, we are delighted that Lafayette
Parish Schools chose Blue Bird propane buses as their solution to
reducing emissions,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird
Corporation. “We offer the broadest range of alternative-fuel powered
buses in the school bus industry and our low-NOx propane bus is a great
product, providing fuel and maintenance cost savings, along with
significant environmental benefits. Over the years, we’ve seen that once
a school district runs a Blue Bird propane bus, they keep coming back
for more!”
Propane school buses have received heightened interest because of
Volkswagen’s emissions settlement, after it was announced last year. The
automaker’s $2.9 billion Environmental Mitigation Trust will fund
actions that specifically reduce NOx emissions, and state after state
are promoting alternative-fueled school buses in their funding models.
Nitrogen oxides are a group of gases known to contribute to acid rain,
smog and other air quality issues. According to the EPA, exposure to NOx
exhaust can cause negative health effects in children, including eye,
nose, throat and lung irritations, headaches and fatigue.
Today almost one million students ride to school in more than 14,000
Blue Bird Vision Propane school buses across the nation.
About Blue Bird Corporation: Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is the
leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses, with more
than 550,000 buses sold since its formation in 1927 and approximately
180,000 buses in operation today. Blue Bird’s longevity and reputation
in the school bus industry have made it an iconic American brand. Blue
Bird distinguishes itself from its principal competitors by its singular
focus on the design, engineering, manufacture and sale of school buses
and related parts. As the only manufacturer of chassis and body
production specifically designed for school bus applications, Blue Bird
is recognized as an industry leader for school bus innovation, safety,
product quality/reliability/durability, operating costs and drivability.
In addition, Blue Bird is the market leader in alternative fuel
applications with its propane-powered, electric and compressed natural
gas-powered school buses. Blue Bird manufactures school buses at two
facilities in Fort Valley, Georgia. Its Micro Bird joint venture
operates a manufacturing facility in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada.
Service and after-market parts are distributed from Blue Bird’s parts
distribution center located in Delaware, Ohio. For more information on
Blue Bird’s complete line of buses, visit www.blue-bird.com.
About ROUSH CleanTech: ROUSH CleanTech, an industry leader of
alternative fuel vehicle technology, is a division of ROUSH Enterprises
based in Livonia, Michigan. ROUSH CleanTech designs, engineers,
manufactures and installs propane autogas fuel system technology for
medium-duty Ford commercial vehicles, and Type A and Type C Blue Bird
school buses, and compressed natural gas fuel systems for Type C Blue
Bird school buses. As a Ford QVM-certified alternative fuel vehicle
manufacturer, ROUSH CleanTech delivers economical, clean and
domestically produced fueling options for fleets across North America.
Learn more at ROUSHcleantech.com
or by calling 800.59.ROUSH.
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