WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has added six new videos to its online “Straight Talk” video series.

The series lets viewers hear directly from fleet owners and managers who use propane autogas vehicles, including school buses.

Available for free, the new videos include testimonials from school districts, a school bus contractor, and other fleets.

“Propane autogas is incredibly versatile as a fuel for any size or type of fleet, with both OEM and aftermarket certified fuel systems that can accommodate many of a fleet’s existing or new vehicles, from sedans, light-duty vans and pickups, to medium-duty work trucks and school buses,” said Michael Taylor, PERC’s director of autogas business development. “We want these videos to allow fleet owners and managers to visualize the experiences they could have by using clean, cost-effective propane autogas."

Pupil transportation providers featured in the new videos are:

•    Metropolitan School District of Warren Township in Indianapolis

About 85% of Warren Township’s students ride a school bus daily, but increasingly cold winters put pressure on the district’s fleet of diesel buses. Drivers now have a waiting list to switch to driving the district’s propane buses, which start with no issue in cold weather, warm up quickly, and run quietly, according to PERC. 

•    Indianapolis Public Schools

Indianapolis Public Schools began replacing its fleet with propane buses in 2016 to cut back on repair costs on its 12- to 13-year-old diesel buses. Along with providing students a quieter, more comfortable ride, the district can report reductions in both emissions and costs to the school board and taxpayers.

•    Cook-Illinois Corp. in Chicago

Cook-Illinois Corp. first purchased propane school buses in 2014. The company has observed less downtime with its propane buses, and plans to switch at least 50% of its fleet to propane.

The other three video testimonials come from San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, the city of Kingsport (Tenn.), and Van Go Transportation Services in Richmond, Virginia.