****************************************************************** JOINT NEWS RELEASE FROM STATE SENATOR WILLIAM CRAVEN and ASSEMBLYMAN BILL MORROW ****************************************************************** CONTACT: For Immediate Release Scott Johnson 916-445-3731 March 31, 1995 Senator William Craven's Office OCEANSIDE USD TO RECEIVE SAFER, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUSES SACRAMENTO _ Hundreds of students in the Oceanside Unified School District, will soon be riding safer in less-polluting, more energy-efficient new school buses thanks to a program funded by the California Energy Commission, State Senator William Craven and Assemblyman Bill Morrow announced today. The Commission is purchasing at least 174 school buses under the third phase of the Safe School Bus Clean Fuel Efficiency Demonstration Program. The Oceanside USD will receive a total of at least six buses _ one advanced diesel bus and five powered by natural gas. The buses are worth more than $565,000. "These bus use some of the most advanced vehicle technology in the country," said Senator Craven. "The diesel bus gets better mileage and has less exhaust emissions than regular school buses. The natural gas buses use an abundant, inexpensive non- petroleum fuel source that is one of the cleanest-burning fuels for vehicles. This is the wave of the future." The program was created by the Legislature in 1988. Under the program, the school districts retire an equal number of older buses built prior to the 1977 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These older buses are replaced by ones that have advanced safety features. Also, as part of the program, at least 35 percent of the new buses have to be powered by fuels other than diesel or gasoline. The older buses are retired from service and cannot be used within California for transporting children or adults. Many of the older buses are sold for scrap or parts. "We've been waiting a long time for new buses," said John Farr, Director of Transportation for the Oceanside USD. "With the 13 new buses we're getting, we're retiring 13 older buses. And our Board of Education appreciates being instrumental in bringing a new fuel technology to the area with our 12 natural gas-powered buses. It has also been a community effort. We've worked very closely with Southern California Gas Company and North County Transit so we can fuel our CNG buses. We're ready to go." "These new buses are also some of the safest on the road," said Assemblyman Morrow. "The six natural gas storage cylinders are encased in steel cages that will protect the cylinder in the event of an accident. Natural gas, however, is already a safe fuel to begin with. If there were a leak, the gas, because it is lighter than air, dissipates rapidly. The buses also have a fire extinguishing system in the engine compartment. These buses are truly much safer than the ones they replace." In Phase 3 of the Safe School Bus Program, the Energy Commission is giving a total of at least 174 buses to school districts and school transportation consortiums around the state. The final number of buses that will be purchased depends on all bids being received and approved by the state Department of General Services. Of the 174 total new buses (more may be purchased if bid prices are lower than expected), 82 are powered by clean-burning, compressed natural gas (CNG); 82 are high efficiency, advanced diesel-powered buses; and 10 will be powered by electricity, which have zero tail pipe emissions. Natural gas and electricity will be provided by the local utility companies: Pacific Gas and Electric Company will provide CNG and electricity in Northern California, Southern California Edison Company will provide electricity and Southern California Gas Company will provide CNG in most of the southern California region, and San Diego Gas & Electric will provide both CNG and electricity in its service territory. When the buses are delivered starting this fall (with all Phase 3 buses due for delivery by the end of 1996), a total of 737 buses will have been purchased in the three phases of the $100 million program. Funding for the program comes from the federal Petroleum Violation Escrow Account, which is made up of fines collected from oil companies that over-charged consumers at the pumps during the 1970 oil crises. Of the total buses purchased in the three phases, 385 are advanced diesel buses, 192 are natural gas-powered, 150 are powered by methanol _ the high octane alcohol fuel used at the Indianapolis 500, and 10 will run on electricity. The program has convinced major bus manufacturers to offer models and engines that use fuels other than diesel and gasoline. The new buses are being manufactured by (and the cost per bus): * Electric _ Bids are due to the California Department of General Services by April 7th, and opened on April 10th * Natural Gas _ Blue Bird Body Company (low bidder at $96,118) * Advanced Diesel _ Blue Bird Body Company (low bidder at $84,680) A total of more than 200 school districts applied for an opportunity to demonstrate the clean and alternative fuel buses in Phase 3. A rigorous selection process narrowed the applications. The scoring included points based on the number of older buses in the fleet, maintenance capabilities of the fleet, air quality problems in the school district, whether alternative fuels were available nearby, and commitments to the program made by the districts themselves, among other criteria. The distribution of buses was based upon the willingness of districts to accept the three types of buses, the number of spare buses the district may have (to handle possible breakdowns or technical problems with the alternative fuel models), and the availability of fuel sources (natural gas and electricity). The buses include a number safety features not found on pre-1977 buses. These include: * Additional exits _ The buses have two roof exits; exits on both sides _ one in front and one behind the rear wheels; and an emergency exit at the back of the bus, besides the front entrance door. * A fire extinguishing system is in the engine compartment (for the internal combustion engine natural gas and diesel buses) that will snuff out any possible fires. * A stop sign swings out from the left side of the buses warning motorists that children might be crossing the street. * The natural gas buses have a reinforced safety cage that protects the fuel cylinders in the event of a collision. * Electric buses have special batteries that will not leak in an accident. The Energy Commission will track the use of each of the buses for a five-year period. During that time, the school districts will file information on the miles driven, fuel consumption, operating and maintenance costs, and other data. The information is filed via computer and modems over telephone lines. The collected data are used to help manufacturers refine their products and to point out any problem areas that might arise in these new buses. # # # For more information contact: John Farr Oceaside Unified School District _ 619-433-0040 Bob Aldrich Information Officer, California Energy Commission _ 916-654-4993 end of file File Name: 95-03-31_Senator_Craven_Release_on_School_Bus_Program