Vista Is One of the First School Districts in State to Get New, Less-Polluting Buses

Several old smoke-belching buses will be retired from the Vista Unified School District, one of the first districts in the state set to receive buses run on compressed natural gas.

A prototype bus was on display Friday, giving officials a glimpse of the California Energy Commission’s $60-million effort to spread 163 clean-burning buses among 14 school districts throughout the state early next year.

“We’re very pleased that the process of converting California’s school transportation fleet to cleaner fuels can begin right here in Vista,” said B.B. Blevins, representing the commission.

The district serves 18,500 kindergarten through 12th-grade students from Vista and parts of Oceanside and San Marcos. Vista will get three natural gas buses, not a big part of its 30-bus fleet, but enough to save nearly 6,000 gallons of gasoline a year.

“What we start here today is only a first step in what we must do to make tomorrow’s environment better,” Supt. Rene Townsend said.

Under state legislation, the commission is buying the buses with funds earmarked from the federal government from fines paid by oil companies that overcharged customers in the 1970s.

The 163 buses the commission initially provides will include models run on compressed natural gas, diesel or methanol fuels. A second, $40-million phase of the commission’s program will put another 300 clean-fuel buses in school districts later in 1991.

“They are significantly cleaner burning,” said commission spokeswoman Claudia Barker, adding the buses cost about $100,000 each--”not that much more than a normal bus.”

Vista will use its new compressed natural gas buses to retire three gasoline-powered buses that have been in service since before 1977.

District spokeswoman Vickie Corea said some district bus drivers came to examine the prototype bus on display at the school district’s headquarters in Vista Friday. “They’re thrilled, they couldn’t wait to drive the bus and take rides,” she said.

Barker said Vista participated in a “very competitive process” to win the buses. The district had to be committed to cleaner air, be willing to replace the older buses, and be able to service the natural gas vehicles.

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. will help build a refueling station and supply natural gas for the buses. The utility is working with manufactures in developing compressed natural gas vehicles and providing public refueling stations.

Both SDG&E; and the district are paying for the refueling station and the district will maintain the vehicles.