Grants fund electric buses for school districts
THE SOUND IS THE FIRST THING you miss when you see the new, all-electric yellow and black school buses gliding down Main Street in Flemingsburg. “It’s crazy how quiet they are,” says Fleming County Schools Transportation Director Kerri Moran.
Fleming County became one of the first districts in Kentucky to add electric school buses to its fleet thanks to the Clean School Bus Program’s multiple grant and rebate funding opportunities.
Funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the program has awarded nearly $3 billion to fund approximately 8,500 school bus replacements at more than 1,000 schools. Over the next five years, the program will provide $5 billion across the country to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models.
Fleming County Schools has five all-electric buses that have been carrying the district’s children since April. The buses look familiar but are entirely different than the diesel buses in use since the 1940s.
“You don’t have the exhaust fumes. You don’t have the noise of a diesel bus. Because the buses are so much quieter, the children are much quieter,” Moran says.
In August 2023, Wolfe County School District was the first district to get an electric bus in Kentucky.
“Operating an electric bus is a way of modeling environmental sustainability to students,” says Kenny Bell, the district’s superintendent.
Licking Valley RECC serves Wolfe County School District and has provided support on electric vehicle education and advice.
“Helping our local school systems save money while also being more environmentally friendly has been exciting,” says John May, the co-op’s administrative services manager. “We forwarded the Wolfe County School District information on a program several years ago that allowed them to apply for an EV bus. We are pleased to see the buses running the roads of Wolfe County.”
Carter County Schools is also transitioning to next-generation transportation. The district is using a $9 million federal grant to purchase 23 electric models. “Over the course of this year, with our new buses in, we will replace all of the old buses with new electric buses,” says Carter County Schools Superintendent Paul Green.
The electric buses replace diesel versions that cost around $150,000 new. With the grants and rebates from the EPA, the cost to replace Carter County’s entire fleet is free. “All of those savings and future savings are going to go back into the education of our students,” Green says.
Bradley Cherry, president and CEO of Grayson RECC, says, “Working with Superintendent Green and Carter County Schools has helped Grayson RECC be better prepared for the future, especially for our members, in understanding the technology and the requirements of EVs and charging stations as they become more prevalent in our rural communities.”
Fleming County was awarded more than $9.5 million in grants and rebates for school buses and chargers over two funding cycles. In addition to its five buses, the district expects two more buses soon and 17 more coming by the end of the year. Moran says with fuel cost savings, she hopes to pay her drivers a better wage and replace the district’s bus garage, which sits in a flood plain.
“There is a learning curve to driving the electric buses, but within a few days of driving them, our drivers say they love them,” Moran says. “We feel like the buses put Fleming County Schools on the map and it’s a health and safety improvement for our children.”
Electric buses will save taxpayers a lot of money, says Wolfe County’s Transportation Director John Halsey. His research shows an average diesel bus costs about $350 to fill up and gets about 8 miles to the gallon. It costs $20 to charge the system’s electric bus, which can go 138 miles on a single charge.
The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition agreed, reporting school districts opting to use electric buses can realize up to 60% savings in maintenance costs and up to 80% savings on fuel costs. In May, Fleming County’s first month of operation with their five buses, Moran says the district’s diesel bill dropped by $7,000.
Approximately 60 electric buses are on order for 10 Kentucky school districts this year, according to the Kentucky Department of Transportation.
The future looks bright (yellow) for students riding on these new buses.
