# The Bus Is Powered By? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 13, 2021, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155 "2021-06-13T02:01:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/1 "2021-06-13T02:01:53Z")
Inspired by a comment in Machine Elf’s thread about propane powered vehicles in GQ(sorry for not linking, those are difficult for me). Locally for me, many of the public transit busses(but not all) are powered by propane and one of the sanitation companies has many of their trucks running on natural gas, enough of them to partner with a convenience store to provide a public fuel station out from their private “home” fuel station. What do the local truck/bus dependant services do where you are? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/2 "2021-06-13T04:51:26Z")
Do you mean this thread? > [@Where can I park a gaseous-fueled vehicle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-park-a-gaseous-fueled-vehicle/944125): > > If you keep a spare tank of propane for your grill, most sources advise not storing it in your garage. [Amerigas is slightly less conservative](https://www.amerigas.com/about-propane/propane-safety/tank-storage), endorsing enclosed storage only in structures not attached to your home’s living space. There are a significant number of road-going vehicles that are fueled with liquified propane gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG), and a smaller number fueled with hydrogen (H2). Are there legal restrictions on parking such vehicles in enclosed spaces (worksho… Very easy to link to a post. Just click the picture of the two links at the bottom, copy the URL to your clipboard, then paste it into the new post. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/3 "2021-06-13T07:12:33Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > What do the local truck/bus dependant services do where you are? Around here the trendy thing with city buses is hybrid diesel electrics. I don’t think any are propane powered. The only vehicles I’ve seen that routinely used propane were taxis. Now that hybrid cars are widely available I’m not sure if they still do. Perhaps not, because I’ve noticed that in the city proper, propane filling stations have been disappearing. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/4 "2021-06-13T15:52:20Z")
Serious answer: I live in an English country town, where the (infrequent) buses run on petrol (US = ‘gas’.) Jokey answer: [Wheels on the Bus | CoComelon Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_04ZrNroTo) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/5 "2021-06-13T16:04:21Z")
The garbage trucks and city busses in Mesa (and Phoenix, and probably others) are CNC or LP. The school buses are also some propane or propane-like gas. Plus we have electric light rail. Of course, they are all parked outside. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/6 "2021-06-13T18:41:24Z")
Waste Management trucks here used to brag about using biodiesel but I haven’t seen it lately so they may have dropped it. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/7 "2021-06-13T20:19:46Z")
Sacramento’s buses all use CNG. I’m not sure what the local buses in my particular suburb use; perhaps diesel or maybe CNG like their big brothers. ---
**Author:** ![allyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@allyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allyn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/8 "2021-06-13T20:34:06Z")
The school district I used to drive buses for had a mixed fleet. The small Type 2 buses (10-15 passengers) were gasoline powered. They had 3 full size Type 1 CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) buses. Typically, you would have to refuel the CNG buses every 3 days at the city corporation yard. While I was refilling, I noticed the city garbage trucks and fleet vehicles also ran on CNG. I guess the economics worked out best with CNG as opposed to propane. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bus-is-powered-by/944155/9 "2021-06-14T00:30:16Z")
Yeah, that thread. I know how to post links, its just a pita for me because I almost exclusively read and post from my phone