Blue Bird, a provider of propane autogas powered school buses, and ROUSH CleanTech, a provider of propane autogas fuel systems, have launched the Propane Road Tour, a single-bus tour that will stop at iconic American landmarks on its way to deliver the last bus from the largest single order of 434 propane-fueled buses to Student Transportation of America’s (STA) new terminal in Omaha, Neb.
The Propane Road Tour will raise awareness of propane autogas as a clean, safe and efficient alternative fuel for school-bus use that is more cost-effective to operate than diesel.
“The purpose of the Propane Road Tour is to provide the opportunity for school districts and communities to learn about the outstanding benefits of using propane autogas,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Communities along the tour route, from Georgia to Omaha, have an opportunity to talk with key industry representatives about the economic, safety and environmental benefits of propane-powered school buses. This bus tour also showcases STA’s commitment to becoming a frontrunner in creating a cleaner environment for the Omaha and Millard Public School Districts that the buses will serve.”
The bus tour begins at Blue Bird’s headquarters in Fort Valley, Ga., on Thursday, and ends in Omaha on July 17, with multiple stops in Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. Press events will be held in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland Resort on Friday, July 12 at 10 a.m., with guest speaker Atha Comiskey, executive director of Middle Tennessee Clean Fuels, and in St. Louis at the Old Courthouse on Saturday, July 13 at 2 p.m. with guest speaker Steve Ahrens, executive director of Missouri Propane Gas Association. John Roselli, director of alternative fuel sales for Blue Bird, will be speaking and available for interviews at both events. For a full tour schedule, please visit www.propaneroadtour.com.
Built on a Blue Bird chassis and powered by a Ford 6.8-liter V-10 engine with the ROUSH CleanTech dedicated propane autogas fuel system, the Type C school bus offers 362 horsepower, 457 pounds of torque, and fuel cost savings of 40 to 50 percent compared to diesel counterparts. Propane autogas burns cleaner in engines than gasoline or diesel, which results in less engine wear and tear, and reduced maintenance costs.
Blue Bird Propane-Powered Vision school buses reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and total hydrocarbon emissions, and virtually eliminate particulate matter, when compared to conventionally fueled school buses. Noise levels on the bus are decreased by as much as 50 percent when compared to diesel counterparts, making it easier to hear the children on board. Since more than 90 percent of U.S. propane supplies are produced domestically, propane autogas reduces our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.