The Fulton County Board of Education Tuesday approved the purchase of 90 propane-powered school buses equipped with seat belts.
At a cost of more than $91,000 each, the county will pay about $8.2 million. The board will finalize the deal at the next board meeting.
The propane-powered school buses should reduce emissions and costs, said schools spokeswoman Susan Hale. The alternative fuel reduces hydrocarbon emissions by more than 80 percent, requires a fifth of the engine oil diesel buses use and the fuel costs about half as much as diesel.
Deputy Superintendent of Operations Patrick Burke told the board, “All the research that we’ve done shows that the maintenance cost helps pay back the purchase cost.”
The purchase means about 12 percent of Fulton school buses will have seat belts when the school year begins in August 2017.
“There is a long-term purchase process, we hope to have well over 400 units within the next 5 years,” Executive Director of Transportation Sam Ham said.
The school buses were sold in Georgia by Yancey Bus Sales and Service.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended seat belts on school buses for the first time in 2015, but it reiterated its recommendation after a school bus crash in Chattanooga killed six children in November 2016.
Fulton will be the third school district in Georgia to add propane-powered buses to its fleet, but it will be the first district to employ seat belt equipped, propane-powered school buses.
During the same session, the board unanimously elected Linda Bryant (District 4) to a two-year term as president and Linda McCain (District 5) to a one-year term as vice president.
About the Author
