When you are looking to upgrade your fleet of school buses, more often than not, it comes down to dollars and cents. Of course, everyone wants the best buses for their school district. However, you have to be able to argue for the costs of buying new school buses. We’ve got a few great arguments you can use at your next school bus budget proposal meeting that will get you the best school buses for your district, but also uses sound spending practices.
Getting the best school buses for your budget
You can make heartfelt pleas to your department about how you can’t put a price on the safety of children. However, at some point, you’re going to have to make a sound budget argument for your spending. Every district has a budget they are bound by, and there are many people pulling from many directions. Everyone thinks they deserve a bigger piece of the pie, so you have to be responsible when asking for money for new school buses. So, when you are asking for new school buses and someone wonders, “Why not spend less on perfectly safe used school buses,” you need to come prepared with an argument.
Propane powered school buses
Many states have adopted legislation that will give a tax refund or point-of-sale rebate on alternative fuel vehicles. In Nebraska, you can get a tax refund on taxes paid on alternative fuels. In Colorado, you can get a point-of-sale rebate by purchasing alternative fuel vehicles. So, when you are getting ready to argue for spending money on new propane-powered school buses, be sure to include the various rebates that you will receive.
Buying alternative fuel school buses in Colorado
Since budgeting is all about the numbers, here’s what you can expect to get back when you buy alternative fuel school buses:
- Full-size buses are considered medium-duty trucks and are eligible for $10,000.00 rebate
- Smaller body-on-chassis buses are considered light-duty trucks and are eligible for $7,000.00 rebate
Propane buses are more cost effective than diesel buses
When you invest in propane-powered buses for your school district, you have to consider the costs of operation and maintenance. Propane is a lot cheaper than diesel, which will save your district more money in the long run. Although both diesel and gas has dropped in price, propane is still approximately 30% cheaper than diesel, and 50% cheaper than gasoline.
Because propane is a much cleaner fuel, not only is it good for the environment. but is easier on parts and won’t require as elaborate a filter system to minimize the emissions. Propane buses will save your school district money on initial buying costs, operation, and maintenance.
Blue Bird Vision propane-powered school buses
If you’re buying buses for your school districts in Colorado or Nebraska, talk to a CoWest sales representative about our new Blue Bird Vision propane-powered school buses. Your budget director will thank you. Now, the biggest question is, where are you going to spend all that money you’re going to save by upgrading your school bus fleet to propane?