Three years and $2.7 million federal grant funding after beginning the process, Boise Schools and contractor Durham School Services will integrate eight electric school buses into the district’s fleet.
The buses will serve around 29 schools, prioritizing high-traffic areas where students could be exposed to more air pollution from gas-powered vehicles, said district sustainability supervisor Ali Ward.
About 50 people, including Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and reporters from multiple news outlets, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.
Charlotte Meng, a junior at Timberline High, cut the ribbon and introduced the buses to attendees, calling them a step toward improved environmental sustainability in the district.
For students, “physically encountering an example of sustainability brings hope,” Meng said. It helps show sustainability isn’t just an abstract concept, she said.
McLean echoed Meng’s points when speaking about her vision of making Boise a green city.
“When I talk about a cleaner, healthier city, I’m thinking about our kids,” McLean said.
At the beginning of Boise School Board Chairman Dave Wagers’ 12-year tenure on the board, some of his first conversations were about electrifying buses, he said.
Approving the district’s application for money from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus program was “an easy decision” for the board, Wagers told attendees.
A Durham driver took reporters and Boise administrators for a ride in one of the new buses, which are nearly identical to their diesel counterparts but run much quieter because they lack an internal combustion engine.
Boise is one of four districts in the state to receive federal grants for electric buses. The McCall-Donnelly and Genesee districts are in their third year of electric busing(opens in new tab), while Boise and Horseshoe Bend are adding electric buses to their fleets this year.
