New Study Shows Low-Emissions School Buses Improve Academic Performance

The Georgia State University study highlights the health benefits of alternative fuels, like propane, during National Children's Health Month.

News provided by

Propane Education & Research Council

Oct 14, 2019, 10:12 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A first-of-its-kind study released by Georgia State University links low-emissions buses, like those powered by alternative fuels like propane, to improved academic performance. The study found students who rode to school on alternative fuel buses scored higher on their standardized English test scores compared to students who rode to school on diesel buses.

As part of National Children's Health Month, the Propane Education & Research Council is raising awareness of the health benefits of propane buses.

"We know that if we give children a chance to arrive to school on a cleaner, quieter bus, they arrive calmer, happier, and ready to learn," said Tucker Perkins, CEO of PERC. "For children who are susceptible to asthma or bronchitis, propane buses can lessen these breathing issues, so they're physically in school more often. It's really no surprise they start to test higher, as well. This is extremely important for the well-being and education of our students, and it's deserving of our attention during National Children's Health Month."

The Georgia State study is one of many pieces of research that highlights the benefits students receive by riding to and from school on alternative fuel school buses, like propane. Real-world testing by West Virginia University showed propane school buses significantly reduce harmful emissions. Specifically compared to "clean" diesel buses, propane buses reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 96 percent, which is the key building block to smog and ozone formation.

"We've all seen the cloud of black smoke from a diesel bus. That's really particulate matter, which is very harmful to all lungs and particularly harmful to young lungs," Perkins said. "In fact, diesel exhaust is considered a human carcinogen. Children on propane buses aren't coming face-to-face with those emissions."

For more information on the benefits of propane school buses and how to talk to your school transportation official about propane buses, visit BetterOurBuses.com/Tips.

Editor's Note: PERC President and CEO Tucker Perkins is available for media interviews upon request.

About PERC: The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry. For more information, visit Propane.com.

For More Information:
Gregg Walker
Propane Education & Research Council
202-452-8975
[email protected]

Jeff Salem
Swanson Russell
402-437-6409
[email protected]

SOURCE Propane Education & Research Council