BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Bellingham’s public schools are getting an upgrade to cleaner technology for their transportation.

Bellingham Public Schools (BPS) spokesperson Dana Smith says that the district will be adding three propane-fueled buses to their fleet soon.

The Propane Education and Research Council reports that propane buses are 90% cleaner than the strictest of the EPA’s federal emissions standards.

The buses also do not need to be retrofitted to accommodate the propane, unlike electric powered buses.

Recently, the EPA announced funding for electric buses for Washington state schools.

Smith says that the district’s grant writing team has applied for electric buses twice but have not received the grants.

She thinks that the Bellingham district is not overburdened by pollution enough to warrant the buses compared to other areas of the state. The district is happy that communities that demonstrate that need are being served by the grants.

In addition, BPS has heard that EV buses can struggle with driving on hills, which may be difficult for the Bellingham area.

As part of their effort to cut emissions, BPS has remapped their bus routes to better serve the community, adding 32 routes this school year.