NEW ORLEANS, La. – A&S Transportation is pleased to share that its school district partner, New Orleans Charter Science & Mathematics High School (Sci High), has been awarded $3.1 million in grant funds by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program (CSBP) to electrify their school bus fleet. With support from electric vehicle (EV) partner, Highland Electric Fleets, and A&S Transportation, the school district will electrify their entire nine vehicle fleet to become 100% electric.
This electrification effort will be Sci High’s first big-scale venture into sustainability and marks their inauguration as a sustainability leader in their community. With this new award, A&S Transportation is also proud to tout its own position as a sustainability leader not only on a national level but also locally in NOLA where its customer service center has taken the initiative to outfit its entire roof with solar panels.
“We are excited to be among the first in our community to transition to an electrified fleet of buses,” said Monique G. Cola, Ph.D., Head of School, New Orleans Charter Science & Mathematics High School. As a STEM school, we at Sci High believe it is our responsibility to lead the effort in bringing a cleaner, GREENER option to our community. We recognize the impact that the toxic fumes of diesel fuel has on the health of our students and greater community. We see this move to EV-buses as one positive step in improving the environment in which we live. At Sci High, we want to #bethecatalyst (our theme for the school year) for positive change in our community.”
“We are delighted to add another NOLA school district partner to our roster of successful EPA grant recipients. These nine new EVs for Sci High will join the 32 that are currently in the works for Charter Schools in New Orleans from the second round of the EPA grants,” said Brian Craig, New Vehicle Director, North America, National Express. “The context of this award for Sci High is particularly exciting because it will allow the school to electrify their entire fleet and gain recognition as a new sustainability leader in their community. We are excited to embark on this new journey together with Sci High and Highland Electric Fleets to work together in creating a safer, healthier environment for our students.”
About National Express:
National Express LLC (NELLC) is the North American subsidiary of Mobico Group, one of the premier global mobility firms. We operate across 34 states and two provinces. Our organizations share a strong commitment to provide the highest level of safety, quality, outstanding customer service and positive employee relations. National Express School (NEXS) operates more than 15,590 school buses, serves more than 429 school districts and contracts in 30 states and two provinces, and transports more than 1.3 million students on a daily basis. NELLC’s headquarters is located in Lisle, Illinois. Our 290+ local customer service centers (CSCs) are supported by regional operations teams located throughout North America.
About Highland Electric Fleets:
Highland Electric Fleets is the leading provider of electrification-as-a-service for school districts, governments, and fleet operators in North America. Founded in 2019, Highland offers a unique suite of products that make it simple and affordable to upgrade to electric fleets today. Active in 30 states and Canada, Highland is responsible for the first use of electric school buses in a commercial vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program and the largest electric school bus project in the United States to date. To learn more, visit www.highlandfleets.com.
