CINCINNATI, Ohio – First Student, the leader in school bus transportation in North America,
announces the winning of grants in California, Rhode Island, Missouri, Illinois, Oregon,
and Montana to expand school bus electrification.
First Student partnered with customers to write, complete, and win grant applications
securing funding to introduce electric school buses into their fleets. Funding sources
come from various sources, including federal, state, and local initiatives. Regional utility
providers are also providing capital for charging infrastructure to supplement the costs
for local school districts.
In helping school districts move to electrification, the cost savings of bus maintenance,
fuel and operation can be pushed back to the classroom. Replacing a diesel school
bus with an electric one will eliminate as much as 14-16 tons of greenhouse gas
annually, the equivalent of filling 500,000 birthday balloons.
“We are proud to partner with school districts to win grant applications and provide
turnkey solutions for school bus electrification,” said Kevin L. Matthews, First Student’s
Head of Electrification. “As the leader in school bus transportation, First Student is
committed to leading the way in school bus electrification.”
In May 2021, First Student announced the largest zero-emission school bus order in
North America of 260 buses.
About First Student:
As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes five million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. 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, please visit firststudentinc.com.
