'That technology, we feel, is going to be around for a while now,' he said at a recent event in Central Park touting the future of the fuel in the automotive industry. 'We've perfected it.' The focus, however, remains on fleets rather than on widespread consumer use because propane refueling stations are not nearly as widespread as gasoline stations, while fleet managers can build and install their own refueling stations, Feehan said. There are about 12,500 propane fueling stations in the country today, he said, but only 2,500 are open to the public. On the other hand, there are about 162,000 gasoline stations in the U.S., according to National Petroleum News. Still, the fuel has its advantages, said Feehan and the half dozen other auto parts and government leaders at the event. Propane burns cleaner than gasoline, they said. A gallon of propane contains less energy than a gallon of gas, hurting fuel economy, but propane is much cheaper, and the federal government provides a 50-cent-per-gallon tax credit for its use. Propane cost an average of $2.60 a gallon in March, according to the Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, the national average price for gasoline was $3.69 on Friday, according to auto club AAA, Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. In July, a San Antonio-area school district unveiled a fleet of 16 school buses it bought from Blue Bird Corp. that are the first in the nation manufactured to run on propane. School officials estimated running the buses on propane would cut their fuel expenses in half.