COMPTON, Calif. – Today, the Compton Unified School District (CUSD) and its school transportation provider, Durham School Services (DSS), unveiled the school district’s brand-new fleet of 25 electric school buses and 25 newly-installed Tellus chargers, at a ribbon cutting event. The buses will begin transporting students this spring. At the event, attendees had the opportunity to tour and ride the buses.
Attendees included Lillie P. Darden (Councilwoman – District 4), Hector De La Torre (Executive Director, Gateway Cities Council of Governments), CUSD Superintendent Dr. Darin Brawley, CUSD Chief Administrative Officer Dr. Shannon Soto, CUSD Board Members Sandra Moss, Alma Taylor-Pleasant, and Satra Zurita, as well as key partners Highland Electric Fleets and Thomas Built Buses, Southern California Edison, Durham School Services team members, and fellow community members.
The 25 new electric school buses, which consist of 17 Thomas Built Type A and 8 Thomas Built Type C vehicles, mark the start of the school district’s first electric vehicle (EV) endeavor and was made possible thanks to partnerships and support from Highland Electric Fleets, Thomas Built Buses, and Southern California Edison. Funds for the new vehicles were awarded through the first round of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program. Compton Unified School District was also awarded funds by the EPA for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.
“The Compton Unified School District is excited to roll out these incredible EV buses in partnership with Durham and Highland,” said Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees President Micah Ali. “These new buses not only provide for a more sustainable, healthier Compton community, they also serve as an exemplar of innovation and social responsibility for our Compton Scholars.”
“These new electric buses are an investment in our students’ future—providing safe, clean transportation as they pursue their dreams,” said Dr. Darin Brawley, Superintendent of Compton Unified School District. “Just as we are committed to sustainability, we are also committed to academic excellence, ranking #1 in LA County for graduation rates and #1 in the state among comparably sized districts. Compton Unified will continue leading the way to ensure our scholars have every opportunity to succeed.”
“We are able to celebrate this new EV chapter in Durham and CUSD’s deep-rooted 20+year partnership thanks to the EPA grant, and our mutual ambition in driving this transition early. I can’t stress enough about how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO, Durham School Services. “Lastly, I’d like to give thanks to our local team of drivers, technicians, General Manager Wendy, and countless other team members, whom, without, this project would not have been possible or even half as successful. I look forward to seeing the new heights we’ll reach over the next few years as we continue our partnership with CUSD.”
“Compton Unified School District is making a real difference for its students with the launch of its first electric school buses,” said Brian Buccella, Chief Commercial Officer at Highland Electric Fleets. “These buses bring cleaner, quieter, and healthier transportation to the community, which is especially important in a county where 1 in 11 children have asthma. Highland Electric Fleets is proud to be part of this effort, and we look forward to working alongside the CUSD community to continue making a positive impact for students and families.”
In preparation for the new EV buses beginning service this spring, hands-on training sessions for technicians were held in January of this year. The two-day training sessions were led by Durham School Services maintenance leaders, Thomas Built Buses, Highland Electric Fleets, and Optimal EV and covered topics related to EV safety, charging stations, and operations.
About Compton Unified School District: Compton Unified School District, whose Superintendent is Dr. Darin Brawley, is located in the south-central region of Los Angeles County. CUSD encompasses the city of Compton and portions of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles. The district currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. CUSD is a district that is elevating, with a high school graduation rate of 93%, dramatic facilities improvements, 88% college acceptance, and a focus on STEAM throughout all schools. The mission of the Compton Unified School District is to empower leaders to lead, teachers to teach, and students to learn by fostering an environment that encourages leaders and teachers to be visionary, innovative, and accountable for the achievement of all students. CUSD schools have received numerous awards, including Golden Bell Awards, National Blue Ribbon School designations, and Top 10 LA Public Schools by Innovate LA. CUSD is also a member of the League of Innovative Schools. The District’s Superintendent, Dr. Darin Brawley, was named 2019 Superintendent of the Year by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. For more information, visit http://www.compton.k12.ca.us.
About Durham School Services: As an industry-leading student transportation provider, Durham School Services is dedicated to the safety of our students and People. For more than 100 years, we have been committed to Excellence and upholding our mission of getting students to school safely, on time, and ready to learn. Through this mission and a grassroots approach to our operations, Durham School Services has earned recognition as a trusted transportation provider among our Customers and the Communities we serve.
About Highland Electric Fleets: Highland Electric Fleets is North America’s leading provider of electrification-as-a-service. Founded in 2019, Highland makes it simple and affordable to transition fleets of all sizes to electric, from school buses to public safety, municipal and commercial vehicles.
Highland led the first use of electric school buses in a commercial vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program and operates the largest electric school bus project in the U.S. With approximately 95% of school buses built in the U.S., the shift to electric drives American innovation, strengthens domestic manufacturing, and creates jobs in communities across the country in addition to reducing emissions and lowering operating costs. Learn more at www.highlandfleets.com.
