SEYMOUR, Wis. (WFRV) – School may still be out for the summer, but when Seymour School District students return to classrooms on September 2, they’ll take a new ride to campus.
“We implemented propane into our fleet here in Seymour,” Kobussen Buses Owner Dan Kobussen said.
A fleet of 21 new buses lined the lots as the 77-passenger vehicles, contracted with Kobussen Buses, run entirely on clean-operating propane autogas, which Kobussen said will benefit not only the riders and drivers, but the community as a whole.
“It’s greener, it’s quieter and it saves fuel,” Kobussen said. “It’s a better product all the way around.”
Not only does it help the environment, but the buses, created by Blue Bird, also benefit the school district as a whole, cutting costs.
“Propane is less expensive than gasoline or diesel,” Alternative Fuels Manager Steve Whaley said. “They can leak and contaminate soil and water. Propane can’t, it immediately evaporates if it leaves the vessel.”
The drivers and riders benefit greatly, especially in a Wisconsin winter, as bus driver Mike Cottrell said the mornings will quickly warm up.
“The propane heats up a little quicker, so you’re not as cold seven to eight miles down the road,”
Cottrell said.
Kobussen said he hopes it’s just the beginning of propane buses and wants to implement it at school districts statewide.
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“We are pushing towards more propane; we feel it is a better product,” Kobussen said. “It’s better than diesel by far; we are going down this path as much as possible.”
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