Three new propane buses have been added to the Oglethorpe County School System fleet, the first of what transportation director Zach Holtzclaw envisions as a fleet composed entirely of propane buses in 10 years.
The buses took to the road for the first time on Monday.
“Those buses are quieter, they have more power,” Holtzclaw said. “It’s a win-win. It’s a new bus, so they were pretty excited.”
Adding propane buses to the school system’s fleet stems from statewide initiatives to increase safety and clean energy. Surrounding counties like Madison and Athens-Clarke have also started the shift to propane.
Holtzclaw presented the idea to the Board of Education about a year ago. He found the board to be “supportive” of implementing the changes. The school system received a $100,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and a $12,000 per bus grant from the state.
“With the state offering to initiate some of these changes, it definitely made headway,” Holtzclaw said. “Because it saves the taxpayer money, and the school system money, at the end of the day.”
A propane bus costs $153,000, while a special education bus costs $175,000. However, it’s less than the cost of a diesel bus, which cost $200,000. In the long term, maintenance of a propane bus is about half the cost of diesel.
The new buses can be identified by a green bird decal, whereas the other buses have a blue bird. They have updated safety features like lighted school signs, a backup camera and crash mitigation technology.
Special education buses have a fire suppression system for the engine.
Mechanic Brandon Watkins is excited about the addition of the new buses, especially with the economic benefit to the community. A new challenge will be learning the new fueling system.
“We don’t have a lot of experience with that part of the bus,” he said. “I’m sure that we’re going to end up getting training and stuff like that, too, to help everybody out, to make sure everything is done the safest way possible.”
Both Holtzclaw and Watkins emphasized the importance of improved safety features, both on the exterior and interior of the bus. Watkins said propane “isn’t what it used to be.”
“Safety is always a top priority,” Holtzclaw said.