Alternative Fuel School Bus Panel Discussion at 2025 STN EXPO East
Managing mixed-fuel fleets requires transportation directors select the best fuel-type for each route, provide driver training, and manage multiple fueling infrastructure requirements. At the School Transportation News 2025 STN EXPO East Green Bus Summit, Steve Whaley, Alternative-Fuel Manager for Blue Bird, moderated a panel of industry experts to address these concerns. Panelists included:
Brad Beauchamp, EV Product Segment Leader, Blue Bird
For over 25 years, Brad has consistently engaged in alternative fuels and infrastructure projects, boasting more than 35 years of support for the automotive and vocational vehicle sectors. “Each year you start to see more and more [electric school buses in operation] …they’re in cold weather climates, they’re in hot weather climates, they’re in mild climates, they’re in hills, they’re running everywhere they can.”
Tom Hopkins, Business Development Manager, ROUSH CleanTech
Tom Hopkins’ 21-year background in fleet management provides an insightful perspective, “I’ve got the full scope of managing from a service perspective, an operational perspective and now trying to be more customer facing and driving more adoption.”
Luke Patrick, Director of Maintenance, South Carolina Department of Education
Luke Patrick provides a fascinating perspective from the state of South Carolina, which uniquely owns and maintains its entire fleet of over 5,700 buses, including 500 propane and 168 electric buses (20 additional EV buses awarded).
Understanding Today’s Student Transportation Landscape
“But why are we looking at anything other than diesel?” While acknowledging the long-standing dominance of diesel, Steve pointed to several factors driving the shift, stating, “We have after-treatment systems on diesel to meet the regulations for emissions that are expensive. Most of the downtime that we have is not the diesel engine but the after-treatment that gets serviced.” The increasingly stringent emissions regulations, maintenance complexities, and associated costs will only continue.
The Electric Vehicle State of the Union
Many factors are leading to increased electric vehicle (EV) adoption:
- Broad Route Coverage. One study found 80% of school bus routes can be completed with an electric school bus.
- Continuous Improvement. Blue Bird electric school buses continue to improve with the launch of the Accelera BP97E battery pack, providing significant and tangible real world performance improvements.
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Capability.
- Training for Key Stakeholders.
- Charging Strategies.
- “Fleet as a Service.” Clean Bus Solutions bundles the cost of the bus, chargers, site visits, engineering, maintenance, and training into a predictable term agreement, shifting the larger capital expense to an operational one.
“Is propane a bridge or destination? A lot of people think it’s both.” -Steve Whaley
With a long-standing and successful partnership of over 12 years and over 23,000 buses on the road today, Blue Bird and Roush CleanTech prove propane is a well-established alternative fuel. Key benefits of the alt-fuel bus discussed include:
- Reliability.
- Significant Cost Savings. While upfront costs are higher, Tom stated “…operationally you’ll save about $3,700 per year is what districts are telling us, running a propane bus versus your diesel bus,” and emphasized the historical price difference: “Propane’s about 60% less to run per gallon than a diesel fuel is.” Roush CleanTech uses a total cost of ownership (TCO) calculator to help customers determine cost savings.
- Abundant Fuel Supply.
- Excellent Range. Blue Bird propane buses offer impressive range, with the most popular 93-usable-gallon tank providing around 400 miles.
- Bus familiarity. Hopkins emphasized Roush’s collaboration with Blue Bird in the development of the engines to ensure an easy transition for customers, “No shop upgrades are required for propane. It’s a gaseous fuel just like diesel or gasoline. If you are certified to run your repairs through your shop today for diesel buses, it’ll be the same for propane as well. And there’s no special tools needed.”
- Simpler Maintenance. Propane engines do not require Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) and have simpler emissions management systems (catalytic converter and oxygen sensors), leading to lower maintenance costs. Tom citied preventative maintenance intervals for propane buses to be around $50-$60 vs. $230-$270 for diesel buses.
- Comprehensive Training and Support.
- Low-to-No-Cost, Scalable, and Efficient Infrastructure.
Real-World Insights from South Carolina
Luke Patrick offered valuable lessons in South Carolina’s decision-making process in choosing the right bus for the right route:
- EV Adoption Drivers. Government subsidies are a crucial factor in the affordability of EV buses. South Carolina is strategic about the deployment of EVs, utilizing DC fast chargers and leveraging existing power sources where possible.
- Propane’s Maintenance Advantage. Luke shared, “Propane has been very good for us because of the maintenance cost. We have constantly put in infrastructure to support more propane in our state because of the [maintenance] costs and the regen issues that we have with the diesel platform.”
- Partnership. Luke emphasized the critical role of pre-planning and training for a smooth transition to alt-fuel buses.
- Range. Though there was some initial anxiety about the range of propane buses, Luke shared the districts are achieving 400 miles on a full tank: “Once we deployed those [propane] buses, [range has] really not been an issue. Our average route daily route is about 70 miles. After we deployed the first round, we said ‘We can actually put these buses in some other areas where maybe the routes are a little bit longer,’ And that’s what we did.” South Carolina also utilizes gasoline buses for specific needs, such as on islands with limited road infrastructure. Diesel is still used for rural routes where the extended range is needed.
The Future is Flexible
The “right bus” truly depends on the specific needs and resources of each district. The benefits of alternative fuel school buses were further explored during a later panel discussion, “How to Hit the Easy Button on Replacing Diesel Buses,” highlighting the experiences of districts operating from the cold regions of the north to the rough terrains of the south.
Ready to explore the possibilities for your fleet? Blue Bird is dedicated to supporting our customers in finding the right bus for the right route, from infrastructure planning and financing to maintenance and training. Contact your local Blue Bird dealer today to learn more about our comprehensive range of safe, reliable, and sustainable options, including diesel, gasoline, propane, and electric.