Boston Has Begun The Transition From Diesel To Electric School Buses

This year, the city of Boston will launch a pilot initiative to substitute more than 700 of its school buses with electric-powered ones. During her speech at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Mayor Michelle Wu also announced that the school's automotive technology curriculum will now include classes on electric car maintenance.

The first 20 electric buses were acquired for $7 million using federal coronavirus crisis funding in addition to the school allocated budget. Boston's present inventory of 739 school buses is fueled by diesel and propane, and Mayor Wu aims to substitute them all with zero-emission electric buses by 2030.

The first emissions-free buses, according to Staci Rubin, vice president of environmental justice at the Conservation Law Foundation, should serve students of color and low-income people, as they are the most vulnerable to health problems caused by poor air quality. 

He said: “Electric school buses dramatically improve air quality and our children deserve to be in a tailpipe emissions-free vehicle.” The electric buses will minimize noise and create a better atmosphere for both drivers and monitors, in addition to removing tailpipe emissions surrounding schools. 

“Climate justice is racial and economic justice. And this moment requires an urgent, all hands on deck approach from every level of government to reduce emissions and boost the health, safety, and opportunity of our communities,” Mayor Wu stated.

School buses, according to authorities, account for 11% of city emissions. Delavern Stanislaus, director of transportation for Boston Public Schools, commented, “This opportunity to electrify our fleet is critical to achieving an equitable local Green New Deal.”