MACON, Ga. — Blue Bird recently hit a milestone: completing delivery of its 5,000th gasoline-powered school bus.

Blue Bird’s Vision Gasoline bus, which runs on a Ford 6.8-liter V10 engine and is equipped with a Roush CleanTech fuel system, became available in 2016. The OEM said that sales have grown significantly over the past few years due to lower upfront costs, reliable cold-weather startup and heating capabilities, ease of fueling accessibility, and maintenance cost savings.

We Transport, a school transportation contractor in Plainview, New York, received the 5,000th Blue Bird Vision Gasoline school bus as part of a total delivery of 59 of the manufacturer's gasoline buses.

“This is the first time We Transport has brought fuel other than diesel into our bus fleet,” said Bart Marksohn, owner of We Transport. “Our wish for an affordable, reliable bus came true when Blue Bird and our dealer, Bird Bus, offered the Vision gasoline model. We are extremely happy with our decision and foresee gasoline being a big part of our future operations.”

We Transport services more than 50 districts throughout New York, many of which are located on Long Island. The Blue Bird Vision Gasoline buses will be used in Plainview, Island Trees, and Smithtown.

Nearly 1,000 school districts now operate the manufacturer’s Vision Gasoline school bus, which is certified to the federal standard of 0.20 g/bhp-hr for nitrogen oxide emissions.