Gasoline school buses back in service, Harrison County first on list

“Diesel is very expensive. The parts are very expensive. They’re very dirty. We’re just hope to eliminate some of that with gasoline,” said Anthony Fratto, assistant superintendent of operations for Harrison County schools.

Harrison is one of five counties that volunteered to participate in a two-year program that will see 10 gasoline-powered buses in use throughout the state, said Mike Pickens.

He’s executive director of the Office of School Facilities and School Transportation for the West Virginia Department of Education.

The other counties are Mineral, Preston, Lincoln and Hampshire, Pickens said.

Most school systems in the United States have relied on diesel engines for their buses because gasoline engines had been burdened with extensive environmental regulations, Pickens said.

For years, diesel engines were considered to be the best alternative to avoid the problems that came with gasoline engines, he said.

“Our specifications were written around that,” he said.

In recent years, things have changed. Diesel engines are now feeling the same burden gasoline engines have with tailpipe emissions, and gasoline engines are becoming more efficient, Pickens said.

“With gasoline, there’s not a need for the pollution cleaning-type apparatus that you have on diesel. They have improved the gasoline engine now to where there’s not as much pollution cleanup as on a diesel engine,” he said.

Also, the growth of shale gas drilling has made propane and compressed natural gas more attractive for bus use in some situations. The three U.S. manufacturers of large school buses have offered buses for sale using those fuels. Recently, all have introduced electric models as well.

A few years ago, West Virginia allowed some counties to experiment with propane-powered buses. Detailed records were kept and results were analyzed, Pickens said.

“It looks like the propane bus is here to say,” Pickens said. “It’s there as an option for counties to use for school buses.”

IC Corp., a division of International, now offers a gasoline school bus, and Blue Bird will have one available this coming spring, Pickens said.

“We decided to be progressive. We think there’s enough future in gasoline to do a two-year pilot program,” he said.

The department asked all counties if they wanted to participate, and the five signed on, he said. Some counties may use only one gasoline bus while others may use three, but the total is limited to 10, Pickens said.

“There’s a stipulation with it. If you participate in the pilot program, you’re going to be asked to provide data when the time comes on how the engine is doing,” he said.

Counties may not purchase a gasoline bus until April. That is to give both IC and Blue Bird an equal opportunity to sell their buses in West Virginia, Pickens said.

All gasoline buses will carry 77 or fewer passengers, so they will be the conventional type instead of the transit, or flatnose, type, which typically carry more students, Pickens said.

Fratto said Harrison County is participating in the pilot program because its chief mechanic wants to test gasoline buses.

The county is also testing propane-powered buses, Fratto said. On Thursday, it took delivery of two small propane buses that will be used to transport special needs students. They will not be used on routes until they have been inspected and approved by the state, he said.

Special needs buses will give the county an opportunity to give the propane buses a good test, as they run long routes on a variety of terrain — urban, hilltop and other, Fratto said.

“They’re all over the county,” he said.