Chicago contractor runs with biodiesel
OAK FOREST, Ill. — Chicago School Transit recently began fueling its buses with a B20 blend of biodiesel fuel. The move is part of the Illinois Cl...
OAK FOREST, Ill. — Chicago School Transit recently began fueling its buses with a B20 blend of biodiesel fuel.
The move is part of the Illinois Clean School Bus Program, which was developed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to reduce emissions.
Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn publicized the news on April 22 at an event held in conjunction with Earth Day.
“Thousands of Chicago students are breathing easier thanks to soy biodiesel in their school buses,” Quinn said. “I salute Chicago School Transit for reducing our children’s exposure to pollution.”
Officials said that Chicago School Transit is the first school bus operator in the Chicago metropolitan area to use the soy-based fuel. The B20 blend on which the buses are running is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel.
Cook-Illinois Corp., parent of Chicago School Transit, said it plans to implement biodiesel use in 14 of its other community school bus fleets. The company operates 1,400 school buses in the Chicago area.
More Management

5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation
What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.
Read More →
EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts
The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.
Read More →
6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results
School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.
Read More →
The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings
Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.
Read More →
EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings
As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.
Read More →
Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion
Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.
Read More →
Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.
Read More →
Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville
From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.
Read More →
Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown
We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!
Read More →
