Posted by
Tanya Arja or Debra Bellanti
on
5/7/2024 6:33:00 AM
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tanya Arja or Debra Bellanti
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Office of Communications
813-272-4060
Tampa, Fl. (May 7, 2024) – The Hillsborough County School Board voted to purchase twenty electric school buses, nine from Thomas Built Buses, Inc., nine from Bluebird Corporation, and two from Integrated Coach Corporation.
The twenty buses are seventy-seven passenger capacity Type-C buses and will serve specific inner-city routes to the district’s underserved communities. The buses should be operational in early 2025, after the necessary training and infrastructure construction (e.g., charging stations) can be completed.
In February, the District was awarded $7.9 million in funding for clean school buses as part of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. The awards will help purchase over 2,700 clean school buses in 280 school districts serving seven million students across thirty-seven states.
To select a manufacturer for the electric buses, the school district had to choose from a pre-approved list provided by the Florida Department of Education.
The financial impact for the school district in the 2024-25 school year will be $8,414,693.00 and a projected cost savings of over $4 million with reduced maintenance costs and fuel savings.
To learn more about the Clean School Bus Program visit: Clean School Bus Program Awards | US EPA