Michael Dodson, director of transportation for Prince George’s County Public Schools, last week asked employees to stop idling the district’s vehicles and rethink how and where they eat lunch.
“Stand outside and turn the truck off,” Dodson said of employees who sit in idling vehicles with the air conditioning on. “Have a seat outside.
“Everybody should be willing to do what’s necessary to help with the fuel consumption.”
Governments, too, have watched bulk fuel prices jump and eat through budgets passed with much lower per-gallon costs in mind. Jim Keary, spokesman for the Prince George’s County executive, said the county’s central services fleet of vehicles has gone more than $1.1 million over its $4.7 million fuel budget since July, an overage that could be covered by tapping into the county’s surplus of more than $1 million.
But many officials say they are still waiting to learn the true cost of skyrocketing prices.
“It’s too early to tell,” said Sean Connaughton, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. “We did move funds around from various reserve accounts to take care of last year’s overruns.”
Connaughton said Prince William County switched vendors to get a better price and supply for its fuel, but cost increases have also been seen for asphalt — a byproduct of refining — needed for county road projects.
Mary Myers, spokeswoman for the District of Columbia’s Department of Public Works, said a tip sheet went out to District employees reminding them to conserve fuel by consolidating trips and driving at reasonable speeds — “all things we’ve known to do since the ’70s.”
The District has fewer sport utility vehicles in its fleet since Public Works decided agencies had to justify purchasing that type of vehicle.
More than 300 vehicles in the District’s fleet now are electric hybrids, natural gas and ethanol vehicles, Myers said, and that has helped on fuel costs.
“This is really the test for our program,” Myers said, “and really the whole reason we began diversifying the fleet some years ago.”
As for Dodson and his buses, the only saving grace he said he sees is the calendar.
Most of the county’s school buses will come to a halt the second week in June, Dodson said, and his department’s fuel consumption will plummet.
“We get a reprieve for a while,” Dodson said. “That’s the good news, if there is any good news in this.”
Fuel Consumption for Prince George’s County Schools
» 1,192 – school buses on the road daily
» 3.2 million – gallons of fuel consumed annually
» $1.93 – bulk price per gallon for diesel in August 2005
» $2.27 – bulk price per gallon for diesel on April 3
