Rahn’s Oil & Propane is a key partner in helping schools in the region, including Sauk Centre Public Schools ISD #743 and Osakis Public Schools ISD #213 take significant steps towards sustainability and cost-efficiency by integrating propane-powered buses into their fleets. These districts are embracing propane as a cleaner, more economical alternative to traditional diesel buses, aligning with both environmental goals and budgetary considerations.
Since 2020, both school districts have operated four to five propane-powered buses, with plans to expand this number as older diesel buses need replacing.
“Our drivers prefer the propane-powered buses. They start reliably in winter and are cheaper to run than their diesel and gasoline counterparts.”
Jon Fevig, Transportation Director for Sauk Centre Schools
Jon Fevig, Transportation Director for Sauk Centre Schools, shared his positive experience with the transition. “Emissions standards are getting stricter, so propane just made sense. Propane is greener and falls more in line with emissions standards,” he stated. The district’s switch began with a proposal to the school board, which was quickly approved, allowing for the purchase of the propane buses.
The benefits of propane buses are clear. “Our drivers prefer the propane-powered buses. They start reliably in winter and are cheaper to run than their diesel and gasoline counterparts,” Fevig noted. Despite initial concerns about whether propane buses could handle fully loaded routes, the buses have performed exceptionally well, proving to be just as powerful and easy to maintain as traditional models. Tony Bieringer, Bus Supervisor with Oaskis Schools echoes a similar sentiment, the propane-powered buses “are a lot quieter to operate, have great power, better fuel economy, and maintenance thus far has been cheaper.”
Rahn’s Oil & Propane has been a key partner in this transition, supplying the propane that fuels these school buses. The Osakis bus company has a propane refueler onsite that they lease from Rahn’s Oil & Propane of Melrose, MN. Currently, Sauk Centre buses fill at Isaac’s Northstar in Sauk Centre, owned and operated by Ron & Isaac Winters.
This growing interest highlights the expanding recognition of propane as a viable and sustainable fuel option for school transportation. Aksamit Transportation in Long Prairie, MN is another bus company that operates propane-powered buses in its fleet and serves several school districts in the region. Owner, Mike Aksamit shared with North Central Inc., “We have 8 Blu Bird Vision, Roush powered propane buses so far and love every one (of them). We find it to be effortless to achieve 5 to 6 mpg with an average driver. Our drivers love driving them on either routes or trips. These are by far the most responsive buses in our fleet. They all started right up in temperatures -33 degrees.”
For schools interested in making a similar switch to propane-powered buses, the Minnesota Propane Association, Blue Bird Bus Company, North Central Inc., and the National Propane Gas Association are excellent resources. With government and industry rebates available, the transition to propane-powered buses is not only an environmentally conscious choice but also a financially sound one. The price per gallon for on-road propane is around $2.00/gallon, and there’s also an Alternative Fuel Excise Tax Credit available. What’s more, the shift to propane isn’t just for buses; a wide range of vehicles can run on this clean energy source too.
“Propane was clean and green, before clean and green was popular,” Ann Hess from Rahn’s Oil & Propane emphasized, pointing out the long-term benefits of propane in both cost savings and environmental impact.
If you have more questions or would like to discuss propane-powered vehicles, please contact Rahn’s at 320-256-3680.
