Blue Bird Propane Vision buses in Wisconsin

© Roush CleanTechA Blue Bird Propane Vision LPG-powered school bus

Lamers Bus Lines, a company running their buses in 25 school districts (with 60 thousand school children) across the entire state of Wisconsin has a fleet of 1300 vehicles. The first LPG-powered buses (18 examples) were added to the line-up in 2013. Another 41 have already been bough since the beginning of 2014. All of them are Blue Bird Propane Vision buses and they will transport pupils from the Milwaukee Public Schools on a daily basis. Their annual mileage is estimated to be approx. 8900 miles (ca. 14 thousand km). In 2013, with only 18 buses in the fleet, the company managed to make 14 thousand dollars of savings. No wonder the company quickly decided to purchase more "savings generators” in the following years.

Our propane buses have been completely trouble-free. We’ve had no issues what-so-ever on them and the deployment has been smooth. We received comprehensive training from our local dealer, Wisconsin Bus Sales, along with Roush CleanTech and our local propane provider. From all aspects, the buses are logical, simple and require minimal adaptation. Propane autogas is a great option for school buses and we couldn’t be more pleased with our fleet.
Allen Lamers, president of Lamers Bus Lines

We are very happy with our Propane Vision school buses. We recently had a grueling winter. Throughout the record-breaking temperatures, the buses performed outstandingly and we had no mechanical issues. From our drivers, to our techs, to the community, everyone loves these buses.
Paul Mennen, regional area manager for Lamers Bus Lines

© Roush CleanTechA Blue Bird Propane Vision school bus

Another Wisconsin bus company, Badger Bus, has been using autogas-powered school buses successfully for two years now. By the end of 2014 16 more Blue Bird Propane Vision vehicles will be delivered, thus boosting the overall number to 20. The new buses will be used to transport students from the Madison Metropolitan School District. Badger bus uses their own in-house refueling facility, featuring a 2000-gallon (over 7500-litre) LPG bulk tank, which is both convenient and affordable.

The company pays 1,19 dollars per gallon of autogas, while a gallon of diesel fuel is priced at 3,48 dollars. With annual mileages between 12 and 14 thousand miles (19-22,5 thousand km) annual fuel cost savings are in excess of 3500 dollars per vehicle. Considering the financial benefits and slashed exhaust emissions, Badger Bus plans to consistently increase the number of autogas-powered vehicles in their fleet.

Our experience with Blue Bird’s propane autogas buses has been a very positive, economical experience. Our drivers love the power and quiet operation, our technicians love the ease of service and simplistic engine, and the domestic, affordable fuel provides us with even greater benefits.
John Meier, co-owner of Badger Bus

Blue Bird Propane Vision buses, powered by 6,8-litre, 362 PS V10 Ford engines and converted with Roush CleanTech systems, are fully compliant with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standards. Their emissions are reduced by 60% in terms of carbon monoxide, 12% in terms of carbon dioxide and 20% in terms of nitrogen oxides compared to petrol-powered equivalents. All buses are equipped with 100-gallon (ca. 379-litre) autogas tanks.