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Updating Your College Shuttle Bus Service? Consider Alternative Fuel
If you run a college shuttle bus service then you are acutely aware of the headaches of bus maintenance, fuel costs and vehicle reliability. When it comes time to start replacing units in your fleet why not consider going with alternative fuel powered buses? It’s a great time to do it. More and more private companies as well as government fleets are integrating buses powered by alternative fuel like propane and CNG (compressed natural gas). There are many reasons why going green with alternative fueled buses makes sense; let’s explore a few.
Protecting The Environment
Going green is good for everybody. Propane and CNG produce close to zero emissions, meaning they are super easy on the environment causing a lot less pollution than fossil fuel emissions. Campus air will be much cleaner in the long run and students will appreciate the effort to keep their air cleaner.
Competitive Advantage
Not only is protecting the environment the right thing to do as a responsible corporate policy, it is also great marketing. Consumers are becoming more and more smitten with companies that go green and it has become a great competitive advantage whether you cater to the general pubic, or rely on government contracts. Going green a responsible choice on the part of the company and having responsible synonymous with any company name is good branding.
Increased Shuttle Bus Reliability
Propane and CNG are easier on engine parts than traditional fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel. Therefore your buses will have a longer life, lessening your capital expenditures, and keeping your down time to a minimum. Because alternative fuels are in a gaseous state, they reach their points of contact faster and more efficiently than liquid fuels. To give an example; your buses will start faster, easier and will not be affected by atmospheric changes in temperature. Your students will get to class on time and your basketball team won’t have to call off a game because it’s too cold to start the bus. It also means they will run smoother with no vapor lock issues, knocking or pinging, making the bus more dependable.
Lower Cost Fuel & Incentives
Propane and natural gas are less expensive than gas or diesel fuel as they require less refining and you will get better mileage as well. That’s a big one right there. Some companies report savings of up to twenty percent on fuel alone.
You could also receive incentives from the federal or state government. The government wants you to convert your fleet and may be willing to offer some incentive for you to do so. There are government programs out there depending on what state, county or municipality you operate in, that offer incentives that provide real savings to services that convert their fleet to alternative fuel. Its worth it to check those out.
These are all great arguments for going with alternative fuel for your college shuttle bus service. The one thing you want to keep in mind is to make sure you partner with an experienced bus sales dealership that is not only well versed in propane and CNG powered buses, but also services them and has locations all over the country. You already know buying buses can be daunting and switching over to a new platform like alternative fuels may add another level to the process. When you deal with professionals who not only know the bus industry inside and out, but also know the intricacies of alternative fuel powered buses – there’s nothing to worry about. An experienced professional will walk you through the process and you can buy your new buses with confidence.
