Schools

When suburban Philadelphia’s Lower Merion School District made the decision to switch from diesel to natural gas school buses fifteen years ago, the people who lived nearby couldn’t have been happier.

On cold, wintery mornings, residents living near the district’s bus lot complained about the gray clouds of diesel exhaust that would drift through their neighborhood.

Aware of the environmental and energy security advantages of CNG buses, the board directed the district’s supervisor of transportation, Michael Andre, to start transitioning to CNG.

Andre did his homework, investigating CNG bus options and fueling station requirements and researching available federal and state grants – which help to offset the upfront costs. In 1996, Andre took delivery of his first 20 CNG Blue Bird All American RE buses and commissioned his first CNG fueling site, one of two fast-fill stations the district now operates.

Over the next decade, Andre grew his CNG school bus fleet to almost 60, making it one of the largest fleets on the East Coast. The district still keeps a few diesel buses in its fleet for special education routes and long distance class trips and extracurricular activities out of the region.

The buses each fuel in about 10-15 minutes after making their morning runs, transporting 6,900 students to six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools during the school year, with continuing programs in the summer.

Andre notes that his mechanics have learned a lot about their CNG buses and stations and that there were “bumps” along the way but that his team has become proficient and comfortable with NGV technology.

“There is a learning curve, but if you have an in-house shop with capable mechanics, they can learn the technology in short order. You’re still talking about the internal combustion engine,” says Andre.

The district’s fleet has traveled nearly 10 million miles using natural gas. “That’s a boat load of displaced diesel,” he says, adding that his fleet now displaces nearly 175,000 gallons of diesel, a number that will increase as nine additional CNG buses are added to the fleet.

And his advice to other school districts?

“It’s a confidence thing,” he says. “People think that it’s an exotic fuel and they really need to have some confidence that it’s every bit as practical as diesel.”

“I don’t think the district would accept going back to diesel,” says Andre.