August 2022

Emily Calandrelli, aka the Space Gal and host of Emily’s Wonderlab on Netflix, believes propane autogas is the best alternative fuel available to school districts today. While Calandrelli owns an EV for her personal use, she believes that propane buses are the best option to help keep school budgets in check and drivers on the road. “School districts don’t have the money to upgrade their fleet. Electric buses are three times the cost of propane buses, “ says Calandrelli. “You shouldn’t have to be from a wealthy school district to be able to breathe clean air.”

In rural Michigan, Charlevoix County Transit offers curb-to-curb transit via propane autogas vehicles, providing residents with access to the majestic beauty of Northern Michigan in a sustainable way. To meet the needs of the community, Charlevoix County Transit switched its fleet vehicles to propane autogas in 2016. Six years later, nearly 90 percent of its fleet runs on this alternative fuel, protecting natural resources while enjoying cost savings.

In the last decade, the conversation around emissions has transitioned from just reducing emissions to striving to get as close to zero emissions as possible. Thanks to this international push, it’s not hard to imagine that one day the transportation sector could truly achieve zero emissions throughout the vehicle lifecycle — from the creation of the vehicles, how the energy source is generated, and at the tailpipe.

Chicago-based Alpha Baking Co., which delivers bakery items to restaurants and grocery stores throughout Illinois and other Midwest states, is celebrating 5 million miles driven in its fleet of alternative-fuel trucks — primarily propane vehicles.

Both the U.S. Senate and House have passed the landmark Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), which includes a number of provisions that will directly benefit the clean transportation industry. Key among these provisions is a three-year extension of the Alternative Fuels Tax Credit (AFTC), which provides a $0.50 per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) credit for compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), propane autogas and other clean fleet fuels.

To address cost savings while achieving emissions reductions. Although diesel prices were low at the time when trying to migrate some of fleet to an alternative fuel, Independence School District decided the long-term benefits of installing propane fueling infrastructure won out, aiding the community’s air quality and the district’s costs.

In the alternative fuel space, most of us have a good understanding of the benefits of propane autogas—clean, reliable, readily available, and affordable—but there’s a new fuel hitting the scene that’s worth exploring: renewable propane.

Today, Randy Cantor, Transportation Services Manager for the Carteret County Area Transportation System (CCATS) in Newport, N.C., joins METRO’s Executive Editor Alex Roman.

For nearly a decade, the repairs and maintenance budget for St. Louis County Schools in Minnesota has remained unchanged – despite a growing student population and several school expansions. The district currently serves about 2,250 students. “I credit having propane buses with keeping our dollar amount low for 10 years,” says Kay Cornelius, transportation director for the district.