South Dakota transit agencies unveil propane vehicles

South Dakota’s People’s Transit, a nonprofit rural public transit service, and Prairie Hills Transit, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing public transportation, recently unveiled their first orders of buses fueled with propane autogas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies propane as a clean energy source. Propane autogas costs approximately 50 percent less than diesel and 40 percent less than gasoline.

The propane buses emit 90 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions than the EPA’s strictest standard and are certified to 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour.

ROUSH CleanTech, an advanced clean transportation solutions company, designed and built the advanced propane engine systems.

Propane buses also offer reliable cold weather performance with unaided starts up to negative 40°F, a quick cabin warm-up, low maintenance costs, and long-range.

Both transit agencies will operate six propane buses. For Prairie Hills Transit, this is 10 percent of its fleet. People’s Transit plans to transition 80 percent of its in-town fleet to propane this year.

“Prairie Hills Transit is on the cutting edge of public transit operation with these new propane buses and the first propane fueling infrastructure in the state,” Barbara Cline, Prairie Hills Transit executive director, said.

People’s Transit and Prairie Hills Transit used federal funding to purchase the buses.

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