TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo Public Schools says its bet on propane-powered school buses is paying off as fuel prices climb.
The district now operates 78 propane buses alongside 58 diesel buses and 12 electric buses, according to a report from WTVG. District leaders say propane’s lower fuel and maintenance costs are shielding the transportation budget from diesel price swings, while the cleaner-burning fuel cuts emissions around students.
The propane fleet is part of a broader alternative-fuel strategy. TPS has also added 12 electric buses with help from $4.7 million in funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, and students train on the technology in the district’s Electric Vehicle Lab, which opened in August 2024.
District officials estimate that once 80 to 90 percent of the fleet runs on alternative fuels, TPS could save up to $1 million a year. The district, the fifth largest in Ohio, serves more than 21,000 students across northwest Ohio.
