By Staff
Alabama Political Reporter
Mobile County School System has been honored for its alternative fuels bus fleet.
At the Southeast Diesel Collaborative’s 12 Annual Partners Meeting in Atlanta, the system received a Fleet Leadership Award.
Mobile County Public Schools now has 80 propane-powered school buses that have replaced older diesel-powered buses in its fleet. BusWorx supplied the new Blue Bird Propane Vision buses that are equipped with ROUSH CleanTech propane fuel system engines.
“The Mobile County Public Schools system has long been a leader in the state in working toward a cleaner Alabama,” said Mark Bentley, executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, who accepted the award for the Mobile system. “This award just reinforces how proud we are to be partners with the system and with Pat Mitchell, Mobile County Public Schools’ Transportation Director.”
MCSS put 30 new buses in service for the 2014-15 school year, and the system added 50 more units for the previous school year.
As one of Alabama’s largest school systems, it transports 26,000 students to and from school daily. The district’s transportation department performed a comprehensive evaluation before choosing to fuel with propane autogas.
Safety research, cost savings analysis and environmental impact were all surveyed. The transportation department also educated school officials, bus drivers, elected officials, the students and community on the advantages of using buses with cleaner burning engines for student transportation.
Each new bus will emit 150,000 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime and displace about 40,000 gallons of diesel and
“I would like to congratulate Mobile County Schools on receiving the Fleet Leadership Award,” said Todd Mouw, vice president of sales and marketing at ROUSH CleanTech. “The school district is continuing to lead Alabama toward a cleaner future with its adoption of low emissions propane school buses. These new alternatively fueled buses have the lowest nitrogen oxide levels of any school bus engine, which is a big step in reducing diesel emissions and clearing the air around its students and community.”
