Blue Bird and ROUSH CleanTech have extended their alternative-fueled school bus partnership through 2025. Since 2012, the relationship between the school bus manufacturer and alternative-fuel system manufacturer has resulted in 1,300 districts operating more than 16,000 propane, compressed natural gas and gasoline-powered school buses.
“Partnering exclusively with ROUSH CleanTech and Ford Motor Company, Blue Bird has led the way in bringing clean and cost-effective alternative-fuel powered school buses to the student transportation industry,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Together we have firmly established Blue Bird’s propane, gasoline and CNG solutions as the undisputed school bus leader in alternative fuels. We are delighted to extend our special and exclusive partnership well into the next decade and look forward to bringing more exciting and differentiating products to the school bus market.”
According to the company, the collaboration has brought clean and affordable innovation to student transportation:
- The first and only school bus manufacturer to offer propane, gasoline and CNG from one common engine architecture, simplifying service and maintenance.
- The first and only propane engine in class 4-7 vehicles certified to the optional low nitrogen oxide (NOx) level of 0.05 grams per brake horsepower per hour — 75 percent cleaner than other manufacturers.
- The first 100-gallon extended-range propane fuel tank.
- The first to market a large school bus powered by a gasoline engine in over two decades.
- The first to achieve the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board’s 2018 heavy duty-onboard diagnostics certification for its propane engine.
“We are committed to supporting the student transportation industry’s push away from diesel to a simpler, cleaner and more cost-effective solution,” said Todd Mouw, president of ROUSH CleanTech. “This contract extension gives our customers and prospects the confidence that we are here for the long term and will help them achieve their economic and environmental sustainability goals into the future.”
The two companies will continue to invest in technology to bring new products to the school transportation market, including even greater NOx reductions for the Blue Bird Vision Propane and CNG products.
