Boston wants to replace its entire fleet of more than 700 school buses with electric vehicles by 2030, starting with 20 buses taking kids to school during the next school year. The move is part of the city’s Green New Deal, which includes converting much of its vehicle fleet, not only school buses.
“Transportation represents the second-highest source of emissions across our city and the first, highest, source of emissions if you look statewide,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu when announcing the measure. According to the mayor’s office, Boston Public Schools (BPS) currently has 739 buses, which constitute eleven per cent of the city’s municipal emissions.
The program now announced will run as an electric school bus pilot program, with BPS deploying 20 buses during the 2022-2023 school year.
Officials estimate the first 20 buses will cost seven million dollars and will be paid for with funds from the school department’s operating budget and federal coronavirus stimulus funds.
The goal is to deploy the new buses within the next eight to ten months. Details on the vehicle maker or possible tender process have yet to be disclosed. However, with states looking to decarbonise school buses, there are options such as Blue Bird or Canada’s Lion Electric.
The initial procurement in Boston is the first step toward full electrification of the school bus fleet by 2030. Longer-term, BPS will work to replace additional big buses each year and then move to replace smaller buses until the entire fleet is electrified, so the statement.
“This is absolutely the right move,” said Staci Rubin, VP of environmental justice at the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental group. He also called for the deployment to prioritise economically-challenged communities first.
Mayor Wu also recommitted to growing Boston’s green jobs workforce by launching the electric vehicle (EV) “train the trainer” program. In autumn, electric vehicle maintenance will be added as part of the core curriculum for students participating in the Madison Park Automotive Technology program.
The scheme enables the City’s Central Fleet Management team to train students and City fleet managers in electric vehicle maintenance, soon becoming part of their job. The city runs 1,200 vehicles in addition to 700 school buses, all of which are to be replaced with zero-emission vehicles in the Green New Deal.
In terms of EV charging stations throughout Boston, the city says it currently has 66 active EV charging plugs for both public and municipal use. In December 2021, Mayor Wu announced that another 15 charge points are planned for installation in 2022 and early 2023.
boston.gov, boston.com, bostonherald.com
Keyword: Boston to replace all 700 school buses with electric buses