Missouri district ‘goes green’ with CNG buses

Parkway School District in Chesterfield is taking delivery of 30 Saf-T-Liner HDX compressed natural gas Thomas Built buses, with nine in service since the beginning of February. The district is also building a CNG fueling station on-site.

by Kelly Aguinaldo

February 24, 2014

2 min to read

Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Mo., has nine Saf-T-Liner HDX compressed natural gas-powered school buses from Thomas Built in service, with Director of Transportation Will Rosa saying he hopes to have the remaining 21 in service by mid-March.

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Parkway School District is going green: The school district is taking delivery of 30 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, with nine in service since the beginning of February.

Director of Transportation Will Rosa told SBF that his operation hopes to have all of them in service by mid-March.

The school district will commemorate its new 72-passenger Saf-T-Liner HDX CNG buses from Thomas Built Buses with a dedication, “Growing Up Green,” at Parkway West High School on April 3.

“We have a communications team — including myself — working on the dedication, inviting many community folks and others,” Rosa said. “There will be a video and T-shirts and a convoy of buses arriving.”

Parkway purchased the buses and is building a CNG fueling station on-site with a $1.5 million federal highway grant administered by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

Parkway School District is reportedly one of only two districts in the state currently using CNG buses and will have one of only a few CNG fueling stations in the entire region.

“We are partnering with the city of Chesterfield so they can also convert some of their vehicles to CNG,” Rosa added.

Officials said the benefits of CNG buses include emission of fewer pollutants compared to diesel-powered buses; fuel cost savings estimated at $100,000 annually; longer engine life and low maintenance; and quiet operation.