|
|
Thursday, September 9, 2010 |
Serving Seguin and Guadalupe County since 1888
|
|
|
Marketplace
Sections
Services
Service Center
|
|
 |
|
Propane buses net Seguin ISD $300,000 rebate
Published June 10, 2009
SEGUIN — When the Seguin ISD Board of Trustees decided to purchase 21 propane buses in October, one of the goals its members had in mind was to go green while saving some green.
On Tuesday morning at Oak Park Mall, the board and other SISD officials got more than 300,000 reasons why they made the right choice, as the district was presented with a substantial rebate check from Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and officials from Rush Enterprises and the Blue Bird Corporation.
“Today we received a rebate check for $303,150,” said Superintendent Irene Garza. “It’s exciting to see all of the folks who came out today to be a part of it that had the same vision and had the same belief in what we’re doing. We have individuals who are doing their part in the state of Texas to be environmentally-friendly.”
In a short speech, Williams commended the SISD on being at the forefront of the propane bus movement, which has already offered multiple benefits for the district, and will continue to provide cost-effective fueling in the future.
“We’ve got about 36,000 school buses across the state on Texas roads and highways and only about 1,700 propane buses, so that gives you an idea of how far in the front of the line Seguin ISD is,” Williams said. “The real benefits from moving to diesel to propane, is, number one, it’s cheaper. Today, propane is somewhere at about a $1, $1.07 per gallon when you’re buying in bulk, compared to gasoline at $2.40 for regular, and more than that for diesel.”
Williams, who speaks to districts across Texas, said that there are more positives in play than just the monetary aspect, as the propane buses are also more environmentally-friendly than their diesel counterparts. Furthermore, Williams pointed out that using propane promotes buying fuel from local sources, rather than relying on overseas suppliers.
“There’s going to be less (nitrogen oxide), less sulphur dioxide and less particulate matter that’s emitted,” Williams said. “If you look at the tailpipe outside the bus, it’s going to be clean, there’s no black soot on the tailpipe. Third, and a very, very important benefit, is that every time we fill these buses up with Texas propane, you’re not buying foreign oil — you’re not using foreign crude.”
In addition to those perks — and the big check handed out Tuesday — the SISD will keep seeing returns from their use of propane buses, as the Federal Government will issue a 50-cent-per-gallon rebate on future fuel purchases.
These benefits are available to any district who chooses to follow in the footsteps of Seguin and other select districts, which is why the companies that sell them — like Rush Enterprises — don’t anticipate the need for hiring a Billy Mays-style pitchman.
“You talk about the efficiencies and ‘Greening up America,’” said Rush Enterprises President and CEO Rusty Rush. “But at the same time, when you look at the cost of it, when you take into account that we rebate $7,000 back, there’s a $9,500 cost difference (in the buses) and when you put that on top of the state and federal credits you can get back in the cost of the propane, there’s no question this thing is going to grow as it moves forward.
“When you put in on a piece of paper, it sells itself.”
As a result, the Blue Bird Corporation says they plan to increase production of the buses in an effort to service those who are just finding out about the benefits of switching to propane power.
That’s because when other districts do hear about the new buses, the folks at Traxis Group — of which Blue Bird is a member — believe that the demand will be there.
“The argument is too compelling not to be,” said Traxis Group President and CEO Greg Bennett. “While there’s been some people who have wondered about the technology, we’ve now had some early adopters and they’ve had great success, so we think it’s going to be a thing of the future and we’re working to make sure that we can meet the demand.”
With the buses already being put to use in the district and the list of positives outlined profusely, the only other aspect to consider is the actual performance of the propane-powered vehicles. SISD driver Leander Jackson reports that the new buses are “a big improvement,” and that in addition to being much more quiet and comfortable, they also get “decent gas mileage.”
Following the conference, Garza took time to praise those who helped make it all happen, issuing kudos to SISD Director of Transportation James Pizana, the school board and the taxpayers who supported the bond election. Thanks to those parties, Garza said, the district was able to act as a “trailblazer” by jumping on the propane bus bandwagon while it was just starting to get rolling.
“We started by saying, ‘Gold is going green,’” Garza said. “The Seguin ISD is at the cutting edge with the movement to propane, and these are just exciting times here, we are excited to have those propane buses on the road already.
“We are already reaping the results.”
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|