Propane buses pay off for Lumberton ISD

It could pay for you to switch to propane. It already has for the Lumberton ISD.

Lumberton is the first school district in the Golden Triangle to operate propane buses.

The Texas Railroad Commission offers incentives and rebates to both consumers and governments to help with the conversion.

On Monday, representatives of the commission and a bus distributer in East Texas presented a $66,000 check to Lumberton ISD to help pay for the new propane buses. 

Lumberton ordered three.

The buses are cleaner burning than diesel buses.

BEAUMONT - From Texas Railroad Commission - A year and a half ago in Beaumont, Lumberton ISD's Transportation Director, George Talbert, attended a "Breathe Easy" propane school bus meeting hosted by Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams. Mr. Talbert liked what he heard. After careful consideration, he and the leadership of Lumberton ISD concluded that propane buses were a common-sense choice for their students and taxpayers. As a result, Lumberton ISD became the first Golden Triangle school district to operate new propane school buses purchased with the help of $66,490 of incentives from the Railroad Commission and Rush Enterprises, the Blue Bird bus distributor for east Texas.

"I'm delighted that Lumberton ISD chose to include propane as a fuel for its bus fleet," Commissioner Williams said. "These three buses will lower the emissions that Lumberton's school children are exposed to, and they are a great value for the taxpayers through lower fuel and operating costs."

Lumberton ISD has reduced harmful NOx emissions by 4.6 tons by replacing older diesel buses, as well as reducing particulate matter from the exhaust by 99 percent.

Williams noted, "That sooty black exhaust is gone when you use propane - if you look at the tailpipes of these new buses, you'll see just how clean propane is."

Propane buses qualify for federal alternative motor vehicle and alternative fuel tax credits. Additionally, because the district is located in Hardin County, the buses are eligible for state grants from the Railroad Commission's Propane Equipment Initiative. The Initiative is funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Texas Emission Reduction Plan, which aims to reduce emissions in air quality non-attainment and near non-attainment counties, which includes Hardin County.

"Taxpayers should be impressed with this transportation decision, too," Williams said. "The district receives 50 cents per gallon federal reimbursement for every gallon of propane used in its buses. That brings their cost per gallon to $1.02, compared to $1.98 for diesel. Lumberton calculates it saves about $50 for every 500 miles their buses drive. At 335,000 miles a year, that totals $33,500."

"On top of that, Lumberton ISD is receiving $45,490 from the Railroad Commission's Propane Equipment Initiative," said Williams. "And the Blue Bird distributor for this area, Rush Enterprises, is issuing Lumberton a cash reimbursement of $7,000 per bus through the federal Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit, which adds up to $21,000 for the three buses."

The new propane school buses join more than 1,700 other propane school buses on the road in Texas today.