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School districts in Amherst and Holyoke have secured federal funding to replace fossil fuel buses with electric buses. Amherst-Pelham will receive $600,000 and Holyoke will receive over $7.2 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus program, which aims to fight climate change and reduce harmful emissions. The districts have partnered with Highland Electric Fleets for the electrification process and aim to have the buses operational by the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years respectively.
The Inflation Reduction Act Boosts Electric School Bus Production
Federal Funding for Electric School Buses
School districts in Amherst and Holyoke are transitioning towards clean energy school transportation. They secured part of a $42 million federal funding to replace fossil fuel school buses with electric vehicles, reducing harmful emissions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus program granted Holyoke over $7.2 million, while Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools received $600,000. The funding supports the purchase of new electric school buses and the transition to cleaner school transportation.
Plans for New Electric School Buses
Holyoke officials stated that the funding, combined with another grant, is enough to purchase 26 new electric buses. Amherst regional schools intend to use the funding for three new electric buses, valued at $200,000 each. The actual number and delivery date for the buses are yet to be determined.
Amherst-Pelham’s director of facilities, Rupert Roy-Clark, expects the electric buses implementation to take around two years due to the need for new charging infrastructure. The district plans to start using the new buses by the 2026 or 2027 school year.
Benefits and Challenges of Electric School Buses
The transition to electric school buses faces hurdles due to limitations in high-speed charging infrastructure across the state. Despite these challenges, there is a lot of excitement and community support for the move towards cleaner transportation.
Holyoke Public Schools will use its funding to purchase up to 21 new electric school buses in partnership with Highland Electric Fleets and the district transportation contractor, Durham School Services.
Increasing Electric School Bus Adoption
The Clean School Bus program aims to reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality for students and staff. The funding will help Massachusetts districts buy 166 electric school buses, replacing buses that run on fossil fuels.
The funding is expected to boost electric school bus adoption in the United States. The Electric School Bus Initiative, run by the World Resources Institute, estimates the funding will add about 3,100 new electric school buses to fleets nationwide.
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