Say Hello to nearly $1 million in new eco-friendly school buses
(San Antonio) – Southside ISD gets nearly one million dollars in yellow Blue Bird school buses. In this case, yellow school buses never looked so green. The ten new busses equipped with several wide-angle lenses to capture hard to see areas, seatbelts and modern radios run on eco-friendly propane. You can tell by the green bird icon located on each bus. Transportation Director Jesse Berlanga says the additions to the fleet are a huge boost to the transportation department, “82 percent of the fleet will be less than five years old, that’s amazing!”
Martha Reyes and several other bus drivers also chimed in saying the buses were impressive. Although the department will need to find stations that pump propane for long road trips, Berlanga says it will not be an issue. The cost savings per gallon is undeniable, “We are paying $2.58 a gallon for diesel, propane is $1.15 a gallon…you save money (with propane).”
Berlanga and the bus drivers credit former transportation director Juan Ramirez for the ten new buses. Ramirez was one of the first directors in the state to apply for the monies to help Southside ISD.
Back on May 8, 2019, Texas was allocated $209,000,000. Under the Volkswagen, Program to fund the replacement of diesel Class 4-8 school transit. Ramirez applied for the grant for Southside ISD and was awarded the money from the Volkswagen Environment Mitigation Trust Program settlement and awarded over $700,000.00 dollars to go toward the purchase of 10 new 2020 propane school buses. These new buses will assist in maintaining the life of our current school bus fleet and save fuel costs for the district. These 10 buses will replace older buses and come fully equipped with new air conditioners, radio, and seatbelts for the safety and comfort of our students.
Check out the inside of the buses! Click here.