Florida students will be breathing a bit easier this year thanks to the deployment of 13 new Blue Bird electric school buses — some of which will be replacing diesel buses that have been service for over twenty years!

The students at the Glades County school district will directly benefit from the cleaner, quieter rides, and operational cost savings that electric school buses provide, of course. The killer app as far as students are concerned, however, will be the addition of much-needed air conditioning in the new school buses. Until now, only three buses in the district provided air conditioning, leaving most Glades County students to endure daily, sweaty rides on sticky brown vinyl in the intense Florida heat (that’s right, gang, most school buses in Florida do not have AC — source: native Floridian).

For the kids riding those Blue Bird buses, and for the school bus drivers themselves, these buses are a massive upgrade. “We’re excited to celebrate the arrival of 13 new electric school buses in Glades County,” said Dr. Beth Barfield, Superintendent of Glades County School District. “These state-of-the-art buses represent a significant advancement for our district, offering students a much more comfortable transportation experience in the extreme Florida heat. This milestone is a chance to bring our community together and recognize the teamwork and dedication that brought this project to life.”

Blue Bird (Nasdaq: BLBD) is the only U.S.-owned and operated school bus manufacturer in the United States, and delivered its 2,000th electric school bus to Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada last August, and has continued to deliver both vehicles and solid stock performance even as other HD EV brands like Lion Electric and Nikola flounder.

As for how much the district will save with the new fleet, other school districts have reported paying a mere 19 cents per mile in energy costs for electric buses compared to fuel costs of up to 79 cents per mile for their diesel counterparts, as well as superior extreme hot- and cold-weather performance compared to diesel.

Electrek’s Take

Even with all the uncertainty surrounding the federal Clean School Bus Program, the number of incentives out there to help electrify school districts is still huge, and a number of regional utility programs (like ComEd’s BE Plan in Chicago) are offering six figure rebates to help reduce harmful, surface level air pollution among school-aged kids – one of the most vulnerable populations.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Blue Bird.