ATLANTA – Two metro Atlanta school districts are getting electric school buses. Atlanta Public Schools and the Clayton County School District are two of 15 school systems in the state receiving federal funding for EV buses.
Specifically, for APS, the federal government is awarding a nearly $10 million grant in an effort to minimize pollutants from diesel buses.
The superintendent Dra. Lisa Herring said 25 of its more than 400 diesel buses will be replaced. She along with Congresswoman Nikema Williams made the announcement at Dunbar Elementary School.
Student Ahli Durgurt has high expectations.
“I think they’ll be like Teslas, but a bus,” Durgurt added. “Best quality for the Earth”.
However, first-grader Mikayla Cole understands it’s better for the environment.
“It could be fun because it’s an electric bus,” Cole said.
Herring said the buses are expected to arrive by the end of the year.
“We’ve already put in the purchase order for that and also the charging stations needed for our depots,” Herring said. “The $9.9 million, in and of itself, is a return on investment for us — not only is it a savings, but it’s also an opportunity to impact our larger community.”
APS leaders hope electric buses can reduce the carbon footprint of their bus fleet and reduce exhaust from diesel vehicles, a known carcinogen.
Cary Ritzler of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy said there is a big difference between diesel and electric vehicles.
“A diesel bus will emit fumes when it goes through the neighborhood outside the bus, and also fumes that go inside the bus and expose the children inside, on the bus, up to four times more than a normal vehicle.” Ritzler said. “An eclectic vehicle will have none of these emissions.”
The downside: They could cost more to maintain with a higher initial investment. However, Ritzler said electric buses are more fuel efficient and cheaper over their lifetime and will save school districts money.
“You don’t have to do things like change the oil because there’s no oil in the engine. And the engine is simpler than a combustion engine,” Ritzler said. “So you just don’t have to do the kind of repairs that we have on combustion engines. So the repairs are less expensive. The fuel is less expensive.”
Herring said the grant will cover related expenses.
“In total, all the funds that will allow us to make these purchases, again, the charging stations and the buses and the facility, are covered by grants,” Herring said.
Overall, Ritzler said it’s better for kids. A Science Direct study shows that when students travel on low-emission buses, academic performance in English and maths increases and respiratory health improves.
“We can save the Earth and plants can grow, and so we can get more oxygen,” Durgurt said.
Herring said the new wheels on the bus will start turning in time for the 2024 school year.
