Georgia’s Wilkes County Schools (WCS) says it has become the first school district in Georgia to serve all of its 25 daily bus routes exclusively with zero- and ultra-low-emission school buses.
WCS’ new fleet of electric and propane-powered buses eliminates regular diesel bus routes, significantly improving air quality for students and the surrounding community, while also significantly reducing operating costs.
Blue Bird Corp. recently delivered five electric and 12 propane-powered school buses to Wilkes County Schools. The company’s electric school buses generate zero emissions and can carry approximately 60 students up to 130 miles on a single charge.
WCS can considerably lower its operating expenses by replacing diesel with electric school buses due to reduced fuel and vehicle maintenance costs. School districts have reported paying 19 cents per mile in energy costs for electric buses compared to fuel costs of up to 79 cents per mile for their diesel buses.
WCS will also rely on Blue Bird’s propane buses for its student transportation needs. Blue Bird’s propane buses for the school district can carry approximately 60 students around 250 miles on a single tank of propane autogas. Propane school buses generate 96% fewer harmful emissions than their diesel counterparts.
In addition, propane-powered school buses help the school district to lower the total cost of ownership of its bus fleets by realizing fuel and maintenance cost savings of up to $3,700 per bus annually compared with diesel buses. WCS presently operates a fleet of 22 Blue Bird propane buses. Thus, the school district could save more than $1.2 million over the 15-year life of its vehicles.
“We are proud to be among the first school districts in the nation to launch a fleet of all electric and propane-powered school buses,” says Michelle Smith, superintendent of Wilkes County Schools. “Blue Bird’s zero- and ultra-low-emission school buses will help us to create a healthier environment for our students and our communities at-large while significantly lowering our operating costs. Together, we have transformed our ambitious vision of clean, sustainable student transportation into a reality.”
Highland Electric Fleets, installed five new Tellus charging stations to support the district’s five electric school buses. These chargers allow WCS to utilize overnight and downtime charging, ensuring the buses are always ready to meet transportation needs.
WCS received a $2,335,000 grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Rebate Program to purchase its Blue Bird electric and propane-powered school bus fleet.
Wilkes County Schools purchased its electric and propane-powered vehicles through Blue Bird’s authorized school bus dealer Yancey Bus Sales & Service in Austell, Ga.
