As Diesel Prices Break $5 per gal again, Newport News Schools Is protected with $439,000 in fuel savings
While diesel prices peaked above $5 this spring, Newport News continued fueling part of its bus fleet for $1.35 a gallon with propane autogas.
NEWPORT NEWS, VA. (July 21, 2026) — While diesel prices are on the rise again, school districts nationwide are still dealing with the fallout of spring’s fuel price hikes.
Newport News Public Schools has a different experience: While diesel prices peaked above $5.09 a gallon this spring, Newport News never spent more than $1.35 a gallon to fuel its buses. That translated to more than $439,000 in savings for the school year. How did they do it? Propane autogas buses.
Propane autogas costs less than diesel, and the increases are much smaller when they rise at all. As an abundant, domestic energy source, propane autogas costs are less susceptible to global market swings. While diesel prices rose by nearly 60%, propane autogas prices rose by 16 cents, peaking at just $1.35 per gallon.
“When diesel goes up by two dollars a gallon and propane autogas only goes up about 15 cents, that’s a big difference,” Sam Corson, bus and automotive maintenance manager for Newport News Public Schools, said. “When I look at the diesel on my chart, it’s a roller coaster, peaks and valleys. My propane autogas line is pretty flat in comparison.”
Savings at the pump and the shop: $2 million saved over 9 years
In addition to lower fuel prices, maintenance costs for propane autogas buses are lower, too: They don’t require the after-treatment hardware that increases diesel repair bills. Simplified maintenance also means less downtime, fewer missed classes and more reliable pickup times.
Together, that comes to an estimated average savings of $0.16 per mile compared to diesel. Newport News runs 189 propane autogas buses, most of its routes, logging more than 2.7 million miles in the 2025–2026 school year. That’s more than $439,000 in savings for the year.
And this year is no outlier. Since Newport News began converting its fleet in 2017, the district has saved nearly $2 million. Recent fuel price volatility has made those savings even clearer.
Protecting the Whole Budget
A recent survey by AASA, ASBO, and NAPT found that most districts overspent on diesel this year, with nearly a third transferring funds from other district programs to cover the gap. To temporarily protect classrooms, many are using reserves and deferring maintenance, but if prices remain high, they may have to cut extracurriculars, staffing, and instructional programs.
That’s not a worry for Newport News. “I’m grateful we weren’t in a situation where we had to recover funds from another part of the budget just to cover fuel,” Corson said. “That could have sacrificed our ability to get new vehicles for our support fleet or taken away from what we use to purchase new school buses.”
Benefits Beyond Cost
- Extended Range: Propane autogas buses provided the range needed to cover long runs that electric buses couldn’t. This supports a balanced and diverse fleet strategy.
- Weatherproof Consistency: Diesel gels in freezing temperatures; propane autogas ensures consistent engine starts, keeping routes on schedule throughout the winter.
- Cleaner Air: Propane autogas is cleaner at the point of combustion than diesel, producing far lower NOx and virtually no particulate matter — a difference felt most right where children board and exit the bus every day.
About Propane Autogas
Newport News’s propane autogas school bus fleet isn’t the only one in Virginia. Across the state, more than 400 buses are now running. Adoption is accelerating: Prince William County Public Schools, one of Virginia’s largest districts, added 62 propane autogas buses this spring.
Propane autogas is widely used by school districts across the United States because of its lower fuel costs, stable domestic supply, and reduced emissions and maintenance requirements. More than 24,000 propane autogas school buses operate across 1,100 districts in 49 states, safely transporting over 1.3 million students every day.
For more information, visit Propane.com.
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About PERC: The Propane Education & Research Council is a nonprofit that provides leading propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. PERC is operated and funded by the propane industry.
