Los Angeles school district picks green-diesel bus contractor over competitor promising future, costlier CNG buses

Diesel Fuel News, May 12, 2003

The $67 million, five-year contract to First Student Inc. and Cardinal Transportation includes the purchase of 246 new school buses with diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and running on ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) in metro Los Angeles, A competitor, Laidlaw, only offered a three-year contract with existing buses, while promising to replace old buses with far more expensive compressed natural gas (CNG) gradually.

In contrast, the brand-new "green diesel" buses will only cost about $62,000 per bus, explains Bruce Lyskawa of First Student. International and Freightliner are the major suppliers of school buses to First Student, he said.