Harrison School District 2 adds propane-powered school buses to fleet for cleaner emissions, budget savings
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A local school district is believed to be the first in the Pikes Peak region to use propane fuel instead of diesel fuel to transport students to and from school.
At Harrison District 2, work to gradually convert the fleet of 60 buses to propane buses has been in the works since at least February of 2024.
The district currently has four propane buses, and a fifth is on the way; officials said that propane buses are much cheaper to operate and maintain than diesel buses, and are easier to start in cold weather.
Josy Campbell, the district’s transportation director, said that she learned of the potential of propane buses during a trip to Reno, Nevada.
“They have a green summit there where they talk about different ways of going green with our buses,” she recalled. “Electric just wasn’t in the cards for us, so we decided to go propane — and that has been a great decision for us.”
Campbell asked Kyle Jackson, the bus fleet manager, to research and implement the acquisition of propane buses.
“Buying a propane bus now would be about $40,000 less than if you bought a diesel bus now,” he explained.
Jackson mentioned new, stricter emission requirements for school buses taking effect next year, as a factor in the propane decision.
“Potentially, if you took the same bus I’m standing with right now, and you were to put the new emission system on it, you probably see about a $40,000 difference,” he said.
Jackson added that the cost of electric buses, especially for battery storage and maintenance, made them economically unfeasible for the district.
“Our overall cost savings for propane far outweigh the slightly better fuel mileage that we get with diesel,” he said.
The district plans to acquire three propane buses annually to replace older diesel buses that will be taken out of service and sold at auction.
Part of the transition included installing a propane storage tank on the bus lot.
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