Kinston High School bus driver Diana Smith shows off her new propane-powered school bus, one of five LCPS has added to its fleet. Coming soon are an electric-powered bus and four highly efficient diesel-powered buses – like the propane buses, all funded by grants won by the LCPS Transportation Department.

More than $1.3 million in state grants won by the LCPS Transportation Department will upgrade the district’s bus fleet by reducing its impact on the environment.

The grants fund the purchase of an electric-powered bus expected to arrive by fall, five propane-powered buses already in service and four highly efficient diesel-powered buses scheduled to join the fleet this summer. Those grants total about $1.36 million.

A related Smart School Bus grant valued at $793,223 will bring wireless technology to the bus fleet in order to improve communications and the relay of information, including upgraded security cameras on buses, as well as providing internet connectivity that will allow parents to anticipate the arrival of their student’s bus.

The grants were something of a parting gift from Dr. Anthony Mitchell, who retired as the school district’s transportation director at the end of year.

“If you’re going to go out, go out with a bang,” Mitchell said in an interview shortly before he retired. “There’s going to be a lot of work involved in administering these grants. I’ll be in the background.”

The grant wins represent a focus on the future by a man who joined the Transportation Department as a full-time employee in 1977 and spent 27 years as its director. “I think green is coming – propane, any alternative fuel,” Mitchell said. “The electric bus is going to be down the road. It’s expensive.”

The grant for the electric bus and the charging station totaled $481,469. For comparison, the grant for the five propane buses totaled $433,387 – and those buses have shown themselves to be worth the money, according to Mitchell.

“They’re doing pretty good. I’m very pleased with them,” he said.

Their advantages: less costly to operate, cleaner running and no great change in the maintenance routine, compared to the standard diesels in the district’s 140-bus fleet. “The driver’s love them,” Mitchell said. “They’re quiet and efficient.”

Diana Smith agrees, and her opinion carries the weight of experience. After a stint as a truck driver, Smith began driving school buses for LCPS more than 20 years ago. She’s driven the past two years for Kinston High School. The bus she’s driving now – a propane-powered Bluebird, one of two assigned to KHS – could be the best she’s ever had.

“It’s very smooth and quiet,” she said. “Driving it, there’s no difference, but it does run cleaner and I like that.”

Propane advocates claim up to a 50 percent savings on fuel costs compared to diesel buses and point to lower maintenance costs because propane burns more cleanly than diesel. Research at West Virginia University showed that nitrous oxide emissions were significantly lower with propane buses than with diesel.