CINCINNATI – First Student, the leader in school bus transportation in North America, announces the winning of grants in California, Rhode Island, Missouri, Illinois, Oregon, and Montana to expand school bus electrification.
First Student partnered with customers to write, complete, and win grant applications securing funding to introduce electric school buses into their fleets. Funding sources come from various sources, including federal, state, and local initiatives. Regional utility providers are also providing capital for charging infrastructure to supplement the costs for local school districts.
In helping school districts move to electrification, the cost savings of bus maintenance, fuel and operation can be pushed back to the classroom. Replacing a diesel school bus with an electric one will eliminate as much as 14-16 tons of greenhouse gas annually, the equivalent of filling 500,000 birthday balloons.
“We are proud to partner with school districts to win grant applications and provide turnkey solutions for school bus electrification,” said Kevin L. Matthews, First Student’s Head of Electrification. “As the leader in school bus transportation, First Student is committed to leading the way in school bus electrification.”
In May 2021, First Student announced the largest zero-emission school bus order in North America of 260 buses.