Southern Georgia school district is considering ordering 48 propane-fueled school buses. "They're healthier, they're cleaner burning, and they're much quieter than the diesel option," said a school administrator. Propane-powered buses also reduce greenhouse gasses by 18% compared to gasoline-powered buses and 7% compared to diesel ones. But they come at a premiumlong dash$90 comma 000 for a propane model, $19 comma 000 more than the diesel equivalent. The propane bus operating cost (above and beyond fuel cost) is 31 cents/mile, compared to 40 cents for the diesel. Diesel fuel costs about $4/gallon in Georgia, about $1 more than propane. Bus mileage is 15 mpg for the propane model vs. 12 mpg for diesel. The life of a school bus in the district averages 12 years, and each bus travels an average of 37 comma 000 miles per year because the district is so large and rural. Which bus is the better choice based on a life-cycle analysis? The total cost of using one propane-fueled bus during its life cycle is $ nothing. (Round your response to the nearest dollar.)
