Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Propane school buses make sense

Your story on the switch to propane school buses (YETC assesses practices after November bus accidents, Dec. 16), highlighted the tremendous cost savings that a school district can enjoy by switching to propane school buses. The safety of the children that these buses transport is even more important.

Yuma Education Transportation Consortium joined hundreds of school districts across the country when they decided that student safety can be enhanced at the same time as reducing their costs by switching to propane buses. Propane autogas fuel systems are designed to keep everyone safe. Any risk of autogas leaks is minimal, thanks to a closed loop fuel system. The propane fuel tank is made of 1/4-inch thick carbon steel — making it 20 times more puncture resistant than a gasoline tank. Protective design features include critical valves that are strategically positioned away from potential damage, and an automatic fuel shut-off in the event of a fuel line rupture. The propane tanks are typically mounted between the vehicle’s frame rails, making them very difficult to damage in an accident. These buses were designed and tested with student safety as the primary consideration. And propane fueled buses will not expose children to harmful particulate matter found in diesel exhaust, which is known to escalate breathing-related issues and aggravate asthma.
Combining safety and environmental enhancements with cost savings means that students and taxpayers both come out ahead.

Baron Glassgow
Executive Director
Arizona Propane Gas Association

See the original article here

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