School transportation provider First Student is gearing up for its biggest school year ever. The company will advance student safety, expand its fleet of clean electric school buses and make the most student transportation trips in North America.
This school year, First Student expects to:
- Complete 1 billion student transportation trips
- Transport 5.5 million students every school day
- Drive 525 million miles
- Serve more than 19,000 schools
- Operate student transportation services in 43 states
- Employ nearly 50,000 drivers
“Back to school is one of the best times of the year for our team because we get to help students start their school year off the right way,” says John Kenning, First Student CEO and president. “We are ready to deliver exceptional service with our biggest, safest and most electric school year ever. First Student is proud of our proven, industry-leading solutions in electrification, alternative transportation and fleet management that serve the school districts and families that trust us with their students. We are driving the future with safety, innovation and unparalleled operational excellence, and our goal is ensuring every student receives the best possible ride to and from school.”
First Student is the largest operator of electric school buses in North America and is charging toward its commitment to transitioning 30,000 diesel buses to electric by 2035. The company has been awarded more than $400 million in rebates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Program and other programs, enabling it to accelerate its push to provide healthier and safer rides for students through electrification.
This school year, First Student expects to:
- Deploy 110 new electric school buses in 10 school districts
- Pass 6 million miles driven on electric school buses
- Complete 167,400 trips on 465 electric buses
- Reduce carbon emissions by 12,550 tons
FirstAlt, First Student’s alternative transportation service, expects to expand its footprint in the upcoming school year. The service allows school districts to operate more efficiently and ensures the safe and reliable transport of students with unique transportation needs and students experiencing homelessness. FirstAlt plans to build on these milestones from the previous school year:
- 142% increase in school districts serviced
- 1,035% surge in the number of students transported
- 2,068% increase in trips serviced
