School Board opts for buying propane buses

    New Hampton Community Schools’ bus fleet will soon get two new, unique additions.    The School Board last week approved purchasing two propane-powered buses, a month after asking Superintendent Jay Jurrens to look into the pros and cons of purchasing gas or diesel powered buses.    But the School Board went with an entirely different option.    “What we’re hearing from the school bus people is that they think we’ll get to a point where most districts will use propane buses for routes and gas buses for longer trips,” Jurrens said.    “The maintenance on diesel buses is just becoming too much.”    The School Board agreed to purchase the two buses for just under $87,000 apiece.    Although the propane buses cost more — the price of a gas bus is about $79,000 while a diesel bus can be purchased for around $82,000 — Jurrens said the difference in cost will be made up by lower fuel costs and incurring fewer maintenance costs.
    The rest of the story may be found in the July 25 Tribune.