MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A pilot program through the Morgantown-based Mountain Line Transit Authority to use propane autogas buses on routes has now been expanded.
Mountain Line General Manager Maria Smith and officials with Ferrellgas as well as ROUSH CleanTech, have announced that the five-bus fleet of propane autogas buses will be doubled within the next year after positive results from the pilot program.
“We’ve had that period of time of analysis, and we’ve come to the conclusion with the board today announcing that here going forward we’re going to commit to doing light-duty buses and propane fuel,” said Smith.
According to Smith, Mountain Line plans to add an additional seven buses that will hold about a dozen passengers per ride. The buses will operate on routes normally seen within the fleet with little to no gas mileage difference seen based on what was seen out of the pilot program. Smith said added with the expected fuel cost savings, the decision to make the switch over to propane autogas was an easy one to make.
“We currently have five propane-powered vehicles in the fleet, and then next year we’re going to be ordering about another seven vehicles,” said Smith. “So as our current gas vehicles are coming to their useful life, we’ll retire those and replace them with propane.”
Mountain Line officials noted that the costs of propane autogas will positively impact fuel costs due to the consistent cost in comparison to gasoline fuel. The decision to make the switch was due in part to the approximately $700,000 that was accounted for in fuel costs two years ago. Officials said the technology allows for minimal fuel loss while a bus is refueled.
“It’s similar to filling with gas and diesel, however, we have additional safety features built in when fueling a propane vehicle,” said Ferrellgas representative Brian Raygor. “One of those is a quick-connect fitting that allows you to pump fuel only when you’re connected to the vehicle.”