Last July, 14 clean-operating propane school buses arrived at Pulaski County Special School District, marking their second alt-fuel bus purchase. 

Pulaski County Special School District operates 205 school buses that span 600 square miles. The district originally purchased four propane buses in 2022. After success with the first round of propane buses, and with new emissions standards, an additional 14 were ordered and arrived this summer. 

The new buses replace 14 outdated 2002-2009 model-year diesel buses and will be used for daily routes, activities, and athletic transportation.

“We’re pleased that our school buses operate on a cleaner fuel than diesel,” said Dr. Charles McNulty, superintendent of Pulaski County Special School District. “Maintenance and fuel costs are lower with the new buses. All savings will go toward supporting the transportation department to ensure our children have access to excellent transportation options to and from school.”

The district added two 1,000-gallon on-site propane fueling stations and worked with a local propane supplier to lock in a low per-gallon rate. “Our drivers can easily and conveniently fuel up throughout the day with the onsite stations,” said McNulty. “Having the stations onsite makes overall operations much more efficient.”

“Pulaski County Special School District is the third district in the state of Arkansas joining more than 1,000 school districts across the country transitioning to clean-operating, low-cost propane buses,” said Luke Fitzpatrick, CEO for Arkansas Propane Education & Research Council. “In addition to reducing harmful emissions, propane buses offer school districts the lowest total cost of ownership compared with any other fuel.” 

To help purchase the buses, Pulaski County Special School District received a grant from Arkansas Energy Environment, as well as rebates from GO RED (Reduced Emissions from Diesel). 

Additional funding for propane buses is available for Arkansas schools who qualify for the EPA’s Clean School Bus Rebate Program, as well as federal alternative fuel tax credits.

Propane buses emit fewer harmful emissions than older diesel buses. In fact, one diesel bus manufactured before 2007 emits more NOx than 100 ultra-low NOx propane buses like the ones operated by Pulaski County Special School District, Arkansas Propane Education & Research Council said in a media release. It added that propane reduces harmful nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 96% compared with diesel.