The federal Clean Bus Grant Program recently announced a grant award of $7,245,000 that will fund the purchase of 21 electric school buses to serve Holyoke Public Schools students through a partnership with Highland Electric and Durham School Services.
Holyoke Public Schools’ transportation operation is contracted to Durham School Services.
In early May, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) ACT School Bus Fleet Deployment Program awarded $850,000 to Highland Electric to purchase five electric school buses that will be used to transport HPS students.
These two grant awards, along with other secured funding, will provide sufficient funding to replace all 26 full-size school buses in the fleet used by Durham School Services to transport Holyoke students to and from school each day. HPS, Durham, and Highland Electric will work together to use the recently announced federal and state funding to purchase a total of 26 Type D electric school buses, which will essentially electrify the entire fleet of 26 diesel-powered “big yellow school buses” used to transport HPS students daily. The electric buses are expected to be delivered beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, electric school buses offer the following benefits:
Zero tailpipe pollution, which means students, drivers, and community members are exposed to significantly less harmful diesel emissions;
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel school buses;
Reduced maintenance costs for brakes and no maintenance costs for bus engines or exhaust systems;
Reduced fuel costs compared to operating on diesel fuel;
Quiet, clean operations; and
Improved student attendance and academic achievement, as documented in this study: Randomized design evidence of the attendance benefits of the EPA School Bus Rebate Program