Propane business groups say 94 school districts across New York State, including Rush-Henrietta, are adding, or have added, propane-fueled buses to their transportation fleets.
Director of Auto-Gas Development Steve Whaley says there are benefits of switching to propane from gas or diesel, including affordability, being 96 percent better for the environment and healthier for students waiting at bus stops who are at eye level to the nitrogen oxides emitted from diesel buses.
“When you don’t have that level of noise for especially any kind of extended bus ride and when you get off the bus, that decompression time of getting rid of that noise and settling into a classroom have been significant,” Whaley said.
Official records from the Rush-Henrietta district show propane buses have been phased into the district fleet for several years.