An Alternative-Fuel Vehicle (AFV) is a vehicle that runs on fuels other than gasoline or diesel. AFVs typically run on compressed natural gas, hydrogen, ethanol, vegetable oils, methanol or electricity.

School buses that run on a variety of alternative fuels are now being offered by several manufacturers. The federal Energy Policy Act (EPAct) mandates that a certain percentage of state vehicles use alternative energy, but school districts are usually free to make their own purchasing decisions.

Resources:

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed a very useful fact sheet for Alternative Fuel School Bus Resources. They also publish a list of all the currently available school bus products.

Biofuels for Schools has a wonderful site with lots of information about incorporating alternative fuels into your school's bus program.

U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program maintains a list of available publications on alternative-fuel for school buses. The program is a network of approximately 90 volunteer coalitions developing public/private partnerships to promote alternative fuels and advanced vehicles, fuel blends, fuel economy, hybrid vehicles, and idle reduction.