CINCINNATI, Ohio — First Student, the industry leader in electrification, will be driving change in more communities. Eleven of the company’s school district partners have been awarded more than $63 million in total funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deploy a total of 165 electric school buses.
First Student collaborated with more than 50 of its customers to apply for funds from the EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program. The EPA has allocated $5 billion over the next five years to assist school districts in covering the cost of replacing fossil fuel school buses with zero-emission school buses. In this first round of funding, the EPA prioritized funds for high needs, rural and tribal school districts. Winners were selected through a lottery process.
“At First Student, we are committed to providing cleaner transportation options that bring lower costs, less maintenance and ensure a better experience for our students and the communities we serve,” said First Student Head of Electrification Kevin L. Matthews. “We thank the EPA for the implementation of the Clean School Bus Program. Electric school buses have proven they can reliably transport students in urban, rural and suburban areas. We look forward to working with our school district partners to modernize their fleets, creating a safer and cleaner ride to and from school.”
An internal team of experts at First Student is simplifying the electrification process for school districts. The company is implementing, managing and maintaining this ground-breaking technology at locations across North America.
First Student is a leader in the move toward vehicle electrification as a pillar of commitment to sustainability. It has more electric school buses in operation than any other school transportation provider. First Student’s EV fleet is expected to grow to 300 buses by the first half of 2023.
About First Student:
As a leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry’s strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services, including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization, and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about 40,000 buses. For more information, visit firststudentinc.com.
