Propane Fleet Success Stories 

UPS

UPS Canada added 139 cleaner-burning propane delivery trucks in early 2008 to the already 600 propane trucks in the fleet. The 139 new propane trucks are expected to reduce UPS's carbon dioxide emissions by a total of 254 metric tonnes per year, the equivalent weight of 80 UPS trucks. This means a 35 per cent improvement compared to conventional gas engines, and particulate matter emitted from vehicles will be virtually eliminated.¹

The London Police Force

The London, Ontario, Police force began converting their fleet to propane in 1982, and all of the propane vehicles are stored in a heated underground garage that is equipped with special safety devices to detect fuel leaks. Since the conversion program began, the London Police Service has had no safety problems related to the use of propane fuel or equipment. Although the service's patrol vehicles have experienced collisions from all angles and some vehicles have been damaged beyond repair, the propane tanks, fuel lines and other conversion equipment have with-stood the abuse.

Using propane has contributed to fewer fuel oil changes and longer engine life which has translated into higher demand and value on the resale market. Each year the horsepower of all converted vehicles is tested and compared with the horsepower rating before conversion. At engine speeds of 3200 to 3300 revolutions per minute, the vehicles typically register about 110 wheel horsepower on propane, compared with 117 wheel horsepower on gasoline.

Vehicle acceleration is also tested from time to time. Tests from the 1990s show that a vehicle running on propane was only 0.5 seconds slower in going from 0 to 60 kilometres per hour at full throttle than an identical vehicle running on gasoline.²

Air Canada

Air Canada uses propane for many of its ground operations. At the Calgary airport, over 70 gasoline-powered ground vehicles were converted to liquid propane gas, notwithstanding harsh winter conditions. In its first year, the Calgary airport project established a 33% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.³

Region of Peel - TransHelp (Ontario)

TransHelp is a fleet that consists of 40 buses that provide service intended for persons residing in the Regional Municipality of Peel who regularly use a wheelchair due to functional mobility problems, or are physically unable to board public transit vehicles. TransHelp makes over 220,000 one-way trips annually, and spend much of their time idling in emissions-sensitive areas such as outside hospitals and homes.

TransHelp has been using propane since the early 1980's, and has realized a 15-20% fuel savings over gasoline, the emissions have been greatly reduced over both gasoline and diesel, and the drivers do not even notice when the vehicle switches from gasoline to propane as no vehicle performance is compromised.⁴

Las Vegas

Yellow-Checker-Star Transportation in Las Vegas, Nevada, operates 585 propane-powered taxis that travel 50 million miles per year. Over 2,000 vehicles have been converted to propane since 1981. Since then, over 1 billion miles have been logged by these propane-fuelled taxicabs. Yellow-Checker-Star has never reported a vehicle accident resulting in a fire with propane. The fleet logs more than 50 million miles per year, and saves the Las Vegas Valley from 800 tons of carbon monoxide and 800 tons of particulate matter per year.⁵

San Antonio Northside Independent School District

Northside Independent School District (NISD) is the first school district in the U.S. to purchase a new line of buses fuelled exclusively by propane – 16 Blue Bird “Vision” school buses – the first propane buses to be factory-built in the U.S. since 2002. NISD has been using propane-fuelled buses since 1981, and today, about half of the District's 700-plus buses are fuelled by propane.

NISD has noted that propane buses produces fewer emissions and pollutants than diesel – making them healthier for children and the community, and although a propane bus is more expensive to purchase than a diesel fuelled bus, the cost is quickly recouped because propane is so much cheaper and the engine requires less maintenance.⁶

Robert Q Airbus (Ontario)

Robert Q Airbus is an airport shuttle service operating out of London, Ontario that transports more than 150,000 passengers per year and has been using propane since the late 1970's. The fleet consists of 35 vehicles which can accommodate up to 12 passengers and their luggage. 18 of the vehicles have been converted to run on both propane and gasoline (dual-fuel).

The company decided to switch to propane for three main reasons. First, propane was less expensive than gasoline. Second, it offered the range needed to travel from London to Toronto or Detroit, Michigan and back without refuelling. Third, the company chose propane over natural gas because it offers a longer range and requires less space for fuel storage tanks. (Space is always at a premium in the vehicles due to the need to carry luggage.)

Robert Q Airbus realizes a fuel-cost savings of about $30,000 per vehicle, lower maintenance costs, excellent vehicle performance and an excellent safety record. The company estimates that the payback of the conversion cost is achieved in less than six months through fuel-cost savings.

Burlington Taxi (Ontario)

Burlington Taxi is Burlington, Ontario's largest taxi operater, making over 500,000 trips per year. Since 1979, Burlington Taxi has operated with propane as an alternative fuel for better vehicle efficiencies, to address environmental concerns and take advantage of cost benefits.⁷ 

1 Source: UPS Press Releases, http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/about/news/press_releases/03032008.html
2 Source: NRCan, FleetSmart, Success Stories, FleetSmart Profiles: Cars & Minivans – The London Police Service http://fleetsmart.nrcan.gc.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=docs.view&id=cars-minivans-london 
3 Source: Air Canada, About Air Canada, Convservation and Innovation, http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/environment/conservation.html
4 Source: Ontario Propane Association, Propane Industry Submission to the Ontario Stnading Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Appenidce 7.2 Peel TransHelp Case Study Page 31-32
5 Source: Yellow Checker Star – Company Profile http://www.ycstrans.com/profile.html 
6 Source: Northside Independent School District, News, http://www.nisd.net/news/articles/517/en
7 Source: Burlington Taxi, About Burlington Taxi,
http://www.burlingtontaxi.com/about_burlington_taxi.html