Renewable propane is one alternative fuel source that school districts are looking into to replace their existing diesel or gas buses. As an alternative to electric buses, renewable propane is chemically identical to regular propane and typically made from things like used cooking oil, vegetable oil, and animal fat.

One school district that tried out renewable propane is Maine’s Bonny Eagle School District. They are the first district east of the Rocky Mountains to utilize the fuel source.

Getting Started With Propane

ROUSH CleanTech started working on propane buses in 2010 when they established their exclusive partnership with Blue Bird. The bus manufacturer approached ROUSH CleanTech about designing some buses that utilized propane after they had worked with Ford in 2006 to get an F-150 pickup truck running on the alternative fuel.

Ultimately the partnership with Blue Bird led to the creation of Blue Bird’s propane-fueled buses. The same buses that Bonny Eagle School District now utilizes in their fleet.

With 30 propane buses in their 38-bus fleet, Bonny Eagle has been making great use of the alternative fuel.

They set up their fueling station with help from a local propane dealer and regular propane in mind, however this was no issue when trying out renewable propane.

“There is no difference chemically between renewable propane and traditional propane which makes it very easy to swap over,” said Todd Mouw EVP at ROUSH CleanTech. “Renewable propane can be dropped directly into existing propane buses; it doesn’t matter where it comes from. It is a great way to reduce carbon intensity without a huge investment in infrastructure.”

As the district grew, Bonny Eagle constructed a new fueling facility for their buses. This new facility ended up being one of the largest in the state and features a 17,000-gallon tank that only needs to be refilled once a month.

Putting Renewable Propane to Work

When putting renewable propane into practice, everything went as smoothly as it normally does for Bonny Eagle School District.

“We received the first delivery of renewable propane in Maine in May of 2023,” said Sarah Marean, Bonny Eagle’s transportation director. “Using the renewable propane, we saw no difference from our regular propane due to it being chemically identical.”

With renewable propane being chemically identical to regular propane, the only real difference is the process and materials used to make it. This allows renewable propane to be utilized with any existing propane infrastructure a district may have.

Currently the biggest limiting factor for renewable propane usage is supply. Bonny Eagle received their shipment of renewable propane from Louisiana and have been unable to get another shipment since then.

“There is about 25 million gallons of renewable propane being produced right now,” Mouw said. “However, as the need increases, we should see an increase in production. Currently most of the supply is going to states with low carbon intensity fuel standards on the west coast.”

While supply may be an issue currently, ROUSH CleanTech is receiving increased interest from school districts for renewable propane. With renewable propane being a more economical alternative to electric vehicles, demand for the fuel is quickly growing.

“We have not continued to use renewable propane due to the logistics of getting it delivered,” said Marean. “However, we would like to continue to use renewable propane once delivery becomes more available.”

The Benefits of Propane

Schools interested in reducing emissions and saving on fuel should consider switching to propane regardless of the availability of renewable propane.

Bonny Eagle has saved more than $75,000 using propane when compared to diesel.

While diesel does get nine miles per gallon compared to propane’s four to five miles per gallon, the cost difference is more than makes up for it. With the cost of propane roughly 1/3 the cost of diesel per gallon it won’t take long to see savings.

There are other benefits to propane as well, especially in cold climates like the one Bonny Eagle finds itself in.

“Propane buses also warm up quicker and require less idle time than diesel buses,” said Marean. “Idling with propane is also less detrimental than idling with diesel buses as well. In addition, our drivers don’t have to run heaters in the buses when not in use meaning no chords running to the buses and we don’t have to reimburse them for electricity.”

Propane vs. Electric

Electric vehicles are currently a common subject when the topic of alternative fuels comes up. However, there are some situations where electric buses fall short of propane buses.

When talking about school districts, funding is always a major concern. Converting a school bus fleet to electric can get costly with all the charging infrastructure required to keep the buses up and running.

One other consideration with electric buses is how far they can go on one charge. While not a big issue in urban districts, for rural districts like Bonny Eagle it is a major concern.

Propane buses helped Bonny Eagle move away from diesel without breaking the bank while simultaneously giving them the range they needed to get students to and from their destination.

For trips that go further than the propane buses can handle, Bonny Eagle keeps some gas buses on hand.

“We will always have one or two gas buses in our fleet as backups,” said Marean. “With propane the range is more limited, and we do run into situations where we need a longer range. However, as more districts adopt propane, we can see more opportunities open up for us to use propane buses.”

Fiscally and Environmentally Responsible

Regardless of if they are fueled by renewable propane or regular propane, propane buses can help school districts meet new environmental standards while also remaining affordable.

“For the money invested and economic benefits, propane has benefited our rural school district,” said Marean. “With our spread-out nature, propane has been a better fit for our needs than and more accessible than electric. We don’t need to have chargers all over to keep our buses running and it’s clean as well.”

The push for zero emissions is seeing diesel vehicles fall by the wayside and school districts are having to find affordable alternatives to replace them with.

“The door is open for anyone who is interested in renewable propane,” said Mouw. “We love it when districts ask about what they can use instead of diesel and propane is a good step for moving away from it. As diesel continues to be phased out propane is looking to be the next step in progression toward the near-zero emissions initiative.”