Florida schools save piles of cash with LPG

© media.navistar.comIf savings achieved with only 98 buses were as high as 600 thousand dollars, think of how much the Broward County school district could save if all of its 1269 buses ran on LPG...

The Broward County Public Student Transportation Services Department (one hell of a name, isn't it?) in Florida's Fort Lauderdale saves a hefty 600 thousand dollars a year thanks to a fleet of LPG-powered school buses, as estimated by Roush CleanTech, the provider of autogas technology for the fleet. The "unspent” money comes both from lower fuel costs and reduced maintenance expenses. And mind you, the savings have been made over diesel-, not petrol-powered equivalents.

According to the school district, one gallon of LPG cost them $1,32 on average in 2014, compared to $2,75 they would have to spend on the same amount of diesel fuel. As for maintenance costs, they have dropped by as much as 80% once the switch to autogas (or propane, as it is referred to in the US) was made. It is expected that each of the buses used will have saved 74 thousand dollars over its 12-year life cycle, which means covering each single mile will be cheaper by exactly 38 cents.

Of course, the school district had to invest some extra cash into purchasing LPG-powered buses before it could save anything, but the decision was off to a good start – the cost was recouped in just three months instead of projected six. And since the Broward County school district is among the largest public school systems in the US, with 1269 school buses in operation, more vehicles running on autogas are bound to come – at the moment only 98 run on the cheaper and greener fuel (and yet they manage to save 600 thousand dollars annually!). "Bus shopping” has in fact already begun – 37 new student carriers have been purchased for the 2015-16 school year. Way to go, Broward County!