Boston Public Schools this week received $35 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand its fleet of electric buses. With the grant, the district is closer to its goal of being fully electric by 2030.
Speaking to reporters outside the BPS bus lot in Dorchester on Thursday, Boston Latin Academy senior Paulina Mendes Javier said the expansion will improve the city.
"The adoption of electric buses is more than just a technological upgrade. It's a commitment to cleaner air, quieter streets and a healthier environment for generations to come," she said.
BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said the grant will pay for 125 new electric buses, more than tripling the district's current fleet of 40. One electric bus costs about $320,000 -- three times more than a traditional diesel bus.
The district has a total of 740 buses, BPS officials said. Most are still diesel.
Diesel fumes can cause eye irritation and nausea, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They also have been linked to increased risks for asthma and lung cancer.
David Cash, the director of the EPA's New England office, said switching to electric buses means students, parents, teachers, bus drivers and those working in bus depots won't have to worry about breathing in harmful exhaust. Cash, a former teacher, recalled his days doing bus duty for Amherst Regional Public Schools.
" So I would stand on the curb as bus after bus after bus came, and I would breathe in those stinky diesel fumes." Cash said. "This investment and these buses are going to be what brings us into a new era."
The award comes from the EPA's Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Program, which was established by the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act. Three other Massachusetts school districts and the state's Department of Energy Resources are also among the 70 grant recipients nationwide.
Cash said the point of these investments is to "catalyze the development of this new kind of technology that has huge public benefits."
Boston has received other funding for electric school buses from the federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, which directs money toward converting existing buses to electric, as well as state and local partners. An additional 55 electric buses will hit the road this summer as a result of this funding.
By the 2026-2027 school year, the district expects to have 220 electric school buses.
The figure, while increasing, is still less than half of BPS's bus fleete. Executive Director of Transportation Daniel Rosengard said the district will explore all available funding opportunities to reach its goal of a fully electric fleet.
It's unclear what federal funding will be available under President-elect Donald Trump. His administration is expected to rollback incentives to buy electric cars and trucks.
"We're hopeful, but let's be realistic about what the priorities have been," said the city's Green New Deal Director Oliver Sellers-Garcia.
Fortunately, the change in administration won't have any effect on this grant, he said. "This one is signed."
Jackson Janvier, who trains bus drivers for BPS' transportation provider, Transdev, said he's excited about the electric buses, and so are other drivers -- even some long-retired colleagues.
"When they heard electric was coming they say, 'Jackson, you know what, I'm gonna come back just to drive the EV," he said.