FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth Independent School District (ISD) recently received a grant of $616,940 for the purchase of 16 propane-fueled school buses.

The grant, from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, will offset the incremental costs for the 77-passenger propane buses.

Fort Worth ISD will also use capital improvement program funds of $904,676 for the purchase, which totals $1,521,616. The purchase price per bus is $95,101.

District officials said that they opted for propane buses because of the lower cost of the fuel and its lower emissions.

“Recently improved engine technologies have made propane a low-cost option for our school bus fleet,” said Art Cavazos, chief of operations for Fort Worth ISD. “We believe that propane is a promising alternative fuel for school buses because it is widely available, even in rural areas, and costs less than diesel or gasoline. We look forward to introducing these new buses into our fleet.”

The district’s new propane units will replace buses purchased between 1994 and 2002, which officials said have “exceeded their usefulness.”

The school bus fleet operated by Fort Worth ISD is one of the largest in north Texas. In the 2014-15 school year, the district ran 382 buses on 1,668 bus routes. The district transports 19,727 students daily, accumulating more than 4 million miles during the school year.