Federal Funding Drives PA’s Increase in Electric School Buses

by Danielle Smith, Keystone State News Connection

Many Pennsylvania students now ride electric buses to school. Some $900 million from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program supports cleaner buses in more than 500 school districts nationwide.

The Steelton-Highspire School District received funding to purchase six electric buses, with chargers and charging infrastructure for each bus. Jenna Condran, a school board director there, said kids tell her the electric buses are “quieter and calmer.”

Condran said she sees them as a financial investment that affects the school district, community, and taxpayers.

“Hiring bus drivers and having to fix the buses and having new, updated buses eventually would mean taxes,” she said. “Those taxes trickle down to the parents. So, being able to do something like this with the solar helps with some of that because there are so many grants out there. So, not only is it a plus for the school, but in the long run, it could be a plus for the taxpayers as well.”

Pennsylvania now has more than 250 electric school buses, but Steelton-Highspire is the only school district in the state with 100% of its bus fleet electrified, and the entire district is powered by 100% solar energy.

Brittany Barrett, deputy director of the World Resources Institute, oversees its Electric School Bus Initiative. She said older buses have disproportionately operated in districts with more Black and brown students and in low-income and rural areas. She added that opportunities such as the Clean School Bus Program, rebates, and grants can help districts transition to cleaner alternatives.

“This is just such a great opportunity now to holistically look at how transportation is provided,” she said. “With the Clean School Bus program, an additional $20,000 per vehicle is available if you purchase a wheelchair lift-equipped bus. So, we want equal access for all students.”

Kevin Matthews, head of electrification for First Student, a school transportation firm that says it will electrify 30,000 buses by 2035, said that would mean reducing more than 1.6 million pounds of greenhouse gases.

“For every one diesel fuel school bus that we take off and replace with an electric, that reduces 54,000 pounds of greenhouse gases annually,” he said, “so it’s a very significant change and an improvement in the environment.”

Matthews added that they’ve also observed a reduction in operating costs by 20% to 30%, compared with fossil fuel-powered buses, due primarily to lower fuel consumption but also reduced maintenance needs.

Financiación federal impulsa aumento de autobuses escolares eléctricos en PA

por Danielle Smith, Keystone State News Connection

Muchos alumnos de Pensilvania ahora van a la escuela en autobuses electricos. Unos $900 millones de dolares del Programa Clean School Bus de la Agencia de Proteccion Ambiental financian autobuses menos contaminantes en mas de 500 distritos escolares de todo el pais.

El distrito de Steelton-Highspire recibio fondos para comprar seis autobuses electricos, con cargadores e infraestructura de carga para cada autobus.

Jenna Condran, directora del consejo escolar del distrito, dice que los ninos le dicen que los autobuses electricos son “mas silenciosos y tranquilos.” Condran los ve como una inversion financiera que afecta al distrito escolar, la comunidad y los contribuyentes.

“Contratar conductores de autobus, reparar los autobuses y tener autobuses nuevos y actualizados a la larga significaria pagar impuestos,” dice Condran. “Esos impuestos repercuten en los padres. Asi que poder hacer algo como esto con energia solar ayuda en parte, porque hay muchos subsidios. Asi que no solo es una ventaja para la escuela, sino que a largo plazo tambien podria ser una ventaja para los contribuyentes.”

Pensilvania cuenta actualmente con mas de 250 autobuses escolares electricos, pero Steelton-Highspire es el unico distrito escolar del estado que tiene el 100% de su flota de autobuses electrificada. Y todo el distrito funciona con energia solar al 100%.

Brittany Barrett, de World Resources Institute, supervisa la Iniciativa de Clean School Bus. Segun ella, los autobuses mas antiguos han funcionado de forma desproporcionada en distritos con mas alumnos de color, en zonas rurales y de bajos ingresos.

Anade que oportunidades como el Programa de Clean School Bus, los reembolsos y subsidios pueden ayudar a los distritos en la transicion a alternativas mas limpias.

“Esta es una gran oportunidad para analizar de manera integral como se proporciona el transporte,” asegura Barret. “Con el programa Clean School Bus, hay disponibles $20,000 dolares adicionales por vehiculo si se compra un autobus equipado con elevador para sillas de ruedas. Por lo tanto, queremos un acceso igualitario para todos los estudiantes.”

Kevin Matthews trabaja para First Student, una empresa de transporte escolar que dice que electrificara 30,000 autobuses para 2035. Segun el, eso significaria reducir mas de 1.6 millones de libras de gases de efecto invernadero.

“Por cada autobus escolar diesel que retiramos y reemplazamos por uno electrico, se reducen 54,000 libras de gases de efecto invernadero al ano,” dice Matthews “por lo que se trata de un cambio muy significativo y una mejora para el medio ambiente.”

Matthews anade que tambien han observado una reduccion de los costos operativos de entre el 20 y el 30% en comparacion con los autobuses que funcionan con combustibles fosiles. Esto se debe principalmente al menor consumo de combustible, pero tambien a la reduccion de las necesidades de mantenimiento.

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Source: bctv