SPOKANE, Wash. — Durham Bus Services, which provides buses for Spokane Public Schools, is rolling out a new line of buses powered with propane.
54 of these brand new buses will be driving routes on Monday.
Durham bus services plans to have 25 percent of its fleet powered by propane by next school year. This is the largest roll out of propane powered buses in the Inland Northwest.
"Washington as we all know is a very eco-friendly state," General manger Santos Picacio said. "We're proud to help that along, and we're proud to cut down on all the particulates in the air."
Picacio said propane powered buses will improve Durham's eco-footprint by 70 percent.
"When the propane bus is running, the particulates that are emitted from the bus are virtually non existent," Picacio said. "It's a safer foot print."
Propane is also bit more cost effective as it costs less than diesel, and is expected to require less maintenance time.
And it's much quieter.
Because of the reduced noise, special education buses are the first to be swapped out. That's because some of those students may be sensitive to the loud diesel buses.
They also heat up much faster, which will come in handy on those cold winter months.
The buses will be filled up on site from a 18,000 gallon propane tank. It's part of a contract with local propane company, Northern Energy propane.
The 70 total propane powered buses in the Durham fleet will be marked with green logos. While the rest of the fleet will use eco-friendly diesel.