Chenango Forks Receives First Propane School Buses

Two new buses purchased by the Chenango Forks Central School District won't be fueled by diesel. Instead, they'll run on propane.

The liquid propane-fueled buses were delivered to the school district a few days ago. They're expected to go into service soon.

Chenango Forks school officials decided to acquire the propane buses after significant price increases for diesel.

School district transportation director Jerry Hartman said the new buses aren't quite in service but they should be on the road in the near future.

District business executive Kathy Blackman told WNBF News the district is "very excited" about the potential benefits of utilizing propane for buses.

Blackman said the buses will be "good for the environment" and should provide savings because of lower operational costs compared to the traditional diesel vehicles.

The Chenango Forks district may consider buying more buses fueled by liquid propane.

The Environmental Protection Agency now has a rebate program that could pay the district $25,000 per propane bus.

The district's application for the federal program has been accepted, although there's been no final decision as to whether it will be awarded the rebates for future bus purchases.

The buses which were delivered to the district last week were manufactured by Blue Bird Corporation, which is based in Georgia.

Liquid propane buses are being used by some other school districts in the region, including Whitney Point, Greene and Bainbridge-Guilford.