As diesel school buses reach the end of their lifeline, many school districts are exploring battery-electric options as a cleaner, healthier, and more cost-effective alternative. While there may be initial concerns around workforce readiness, safety, and driver experience, the transition to electric school buses brings a host of benefits – and we’re here to help guide you through it.

Will I need to find new trained and skilled personnel to operate and maintain these new electric buses?

A successful shift to electric school buses does depend on a knowledgeable workforce, but that doesn’t mean starting from scratch. At RIDE, we offer a tiered training program that covers everything from basic maintenance to advanced technical diagnostics, designed to support your team every step of the way.

We understand that each school district has unique needs, which is why we customize our support to fit your specific requirements – whether through the RIDE customer service team or our network of authorized maintenance dealers. Our team is always just a phone call away, ready to guide you through the transition with personalized assistance every step of the way.

How do electric school buses improve rider safety?

Safety, especially battery safety, is our top priority. RIDE school buses are purpose-built and equipped with lithium-iron phosphate battery technology offering a reliable and secure solution for student transportation.

RIDE batteries undergo extensive testing including crushing, heat and puncture resistance, and come with a 12-year warranty. Through innovative technologies, rigorous testing, and comprehensive training programs, RIDE goes above and beyond to ensure battery safety – offering a level of assurance that sets us apart from our competitors in the market.

In addition to battery safety, RIDE electric school buses have successfully passed some of the most rigorous structural tests in the industry, including a side intrusion test and the Colorado Racking and Kentucky Pull Test, ensuring maximum structural integrity and safety.

Furthermore, RIDE buses are equipped with all key industry-standard safety components. Our engineering team works closely with suppliers to continuously enhance product safety from the rider’s perspective.

Will electric school buses affect driver performance?

Electric school buses are designed to enhance, not hinder, driver performance. Many drivers report a smoother and more responsive driving experience compared to diesel buses. With instant torque and regenerative braking, electric buses provide greater control and easier handling, particularly in stop-and-go traffic or on hilly routes.

The quiet operation of electric school buses heightens the driver’s ability to monitor the school bus and its passengers. The overall reduced noise level allows for clearer communication between the driver, students, and any adults on the bus, especially during emergencies or stops. The sustainable design also helps reduce harmful emissions, improving air quality for students – especially those with asthma or respiratory issues.

In addition, the quiet operation of electric buses helps reduce driver fatigue and allows for better focus. Without the constant rumble of a diesel engine, drivers can more easily hear and communicate with students, leading to a calmer and safer ride.

The shift to battery-electric school buses represents more than just a change in technology – it’s a commitment to cleaner air, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future for our students. While the transition may come with questions, solutions are already in place to support every step of the journey. Let’s take the next step forward, together.

Learn more at ride.co. Read Jason Yan’s Q&A from the July issue of School Transportation News and co-CEO Patrick Duan’s Q&A from the June issue.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

The post Moving Forward Together Toward a Battery-Electric Future appeared first on School Transportation News.

The STN EXPO West Ride and Drive event will be expanding to include an immersive technology experience in Reno, Nevada.

The event held Sunday, July 13 kicks off the Green Bus Summit and Bus Technology Summit. Attendees will have the opportunity to ride low- and zero-emission school buses from leading school bus manufacturers, including Blue Bird, IC Bus, MicroBird, RIDE, and from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).

In addition to the Ride and Drive, attendees will experience the Bus Technology Showcase. Representatives from student transportation companies Zonar, Tyler Technologies, Transfinder, and Zum will provide live demos of their technology offerings, allowing attendees a unique chance for hands-on interaction, and an opportunity to ask questions and explore solutions that will benefit their operations.

Held at the Peppermill Resort parking lot, this summer evening event will provide a vibrant atmosphere for attendees and vendors to network while enjoying local food trucks, drinks and a live DJ.

Check out the photo gallery from last year’s Ride and Drive event here. 

The Bus Technology Summit and Green Bus Summit continue Monday, July 14 with educational sessions, interactive technology labs and demos, and discussions with leaders in the green bus market.

Don’t miss the STN EXPO West experience, July 11-16, in Reno, Nevada. Register now.

Related: Why You Should Come to the TD Summit at STN EXPO West
Related: Technology Adoption, Utilization Panel Discussion Planned for STN EXPO West
Related: STN EXPO West Attendees Can ‘Bet on Yourself, Bet on Your Team’

The post Ride and Drive Experience Meets Bus Technology Summit at STN EXPO West appeared first on School Transportation News.

Legislative and geopolitical updates that will affect school bus Wi-Fi, clean fuel decisions, bus manufacturing and more.

Kerry Somerville, CEO of Transportation Planning Solutions, shares tips on routing technology, AI and data security. Join him for a deep dive in his “School Bus Routing 101” session at STN EXPO West on July 11, 2025.

Read more about routing and see the STN EXPO agenda.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

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The post (STN Podcast E263) Not an Easy Button: Expert Gives School Bus Routing Technology Tips appeared first on School Transportation News.

School districts attempt to navigate the clean fuel struggle between the California Air Resources Board and the Trump administration. Chicago uses multimodal systems to provide student service.

Quanika Dukes-Spruill, executive director of transportation services for the Newark Board of Education’s Office of Pupil Transportation in New Jersey, discusses working with contractors, securing Medicaid reimbursements, and implementing electric buses and alternative transportation.

Read more about operations.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

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Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E262) Assess & Fix: The NJ Transportation Director Managing 63 Contractors appeared first on School Transportation News.

A new requirement for selling electric school buses in New York has school bus dealers there worried about vehicle availability and even higher prices one year before a mandate goes into effect requiring all purchases be zero emissions.

The $254-billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year signed into law May 9 includes a much-needed extension to 2029 for school districts demonstrating their hardships with implementing ESBs to begin purchasing only electric school buses. But provision Article 11-C, while good in theory for its intent to provide better range estimates, is short on detail that the dealers association said could lead to unintended consequences.

The three paragraphs call for independent third-party, real-world ESB range testing to be performed starting Jan. 1, 2026, before the zero-emissions vehicles could be sold to in-state school districts and bus companies. Data must be obtained over 10,000 miles operated in extreme weather conditions and over different terrains to gauge battery degradation and resulting range. The law also wants the testing to account for parking  ESBs outside versus inside. It does not specify how the types of chargers used could affect the battery lifecycle.

The New York School Bus Distributors Association (NYSBDA) opposes the provision.

“New York’s school bus dealers are transparent with their customers about the impact extreme weather conditions, terrain, driver operation, and many other factors have on the range of all-electric school buses,” said Peter Tunny, the organization’s executive director. “School districts rely on school bus dealers to partner with them to ensure more than 2.3 million children safely get to school and back home each day and part of that responsibility is to provide the most accurate data available regarding the capabilities of electric school buses.”

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which oversees the state’s zero emission school bus initiative, told School Transportation News last month it is aware such testing exists, available from unnamed firms or testing facilities nationwide. Aside from specific testing centers or procedures, the question that remains to be answered is how, especially with just over six months before the law goes into effect.

One student transporter familiar with the legislative negotiations told STN legislators may have added the range testing requirement to counterbalance the additional year extension granted to school districts.

“If you want that, you are going to have to do this,” the source added.

The intent of the range estimates is to bridge the gap between best-case-scenario figures marketed by OEMs and what student transporters are reporting from their operations. The theory is good, added NYSBDA’s Tunny, but school bus dealers are unaware of any such procedures or facilities to perform such tests.

More questions center on a $1,000 fine, ostensibly on school bus dealers, if the real-world estimates are not provided. No mention is made of how this money will be collected or what it would be used for, such as existing funds for school districts to electrify their fleets. The New York State Attorney General’s office oversees the penalties for violations. A spokesperson had not responded to a request for comment at this writing.

There was also no clarity on if the fine would be tantamount to purchasing a carbon credit. Would it be cheaper for a dealer or OEM to take the $1,000 fine and then proceed with the sale? Would that even be allowed? A source familiar with the legislation but who asked to remain anonymous noted the fine would be “a drop in the bucket” for a $450,000 electric school bus.

NYSBDA is seeking clarification.

“With little information regarding entities which provide independent rate estimates for electric school buses, it is impossible to know if it will make more sense to pay for the testing or the $1,000 fine,” said Tunny, a retired director of transportation for South Colonie Central Schools near Albany. “Unfortunately, at the end of the day, any increasing costs by the state will ultimately be passed on to the school district. It might make more sense with the state to conduct the independent testing by working with New York school transportation stakeholders, and utilizing a state entity, like [NYSERDA] in conjunction with the state education department.

He added that NYSBDA continues to analyze the language of the budget to determine if it would be feasible for OEMs to provide the testing or ship the buses from the factory to a testing site.

“The law should be repealed immediately so the school transportation stakeholders can sit down with Gov. [Kathy] Hochul and the legislature to help craft a law that will actually accomplish their goals without creating another obstacle to selling electric school buses in New York State,” he said.

School bus OEMs are also finally attuned to the matter, albeit they had no answers to the issue yet, either. A Blue Bird spokesman told STN the OEM and its dealers are “monitoring related developments and evaluating appropriate steps.” Meanwhile, a representative of Thomas Built Buses said its dealers were meeting with their lobbyists. At this report, no dealers had asked their OEM partners that more accurate range testing be performed before the school buses ship from the factories.

Related: New York Gov. Hochul Open to Extending Electric School Bus Mandate
Related: Funding, Data and Resiliency Needed for Electric School Bus Success
Related: Update: Future of Electric School Bus Funding Remains Unknown, Warns Expert

There are options for collecting the required data, but they could take time. One scenario could utilize telematics data from ESBs and create statistical models for different road conditions, weather and geography through in-use operations. The EV Watts program provides reliable estimates for over 950 electric passenger vehicles based on kilowatt-hours consumed. It is one the largest public datasets available. A source familiar with the program told STN that a school bus version EV Watts had been planned but its funding was cut.

Still, there are far fewer electric school buses in operation to run similar models. And aside from running models in all different temperatures and road conditions, additional challenges arise in more technology and operational variances such as battery capacity and programming, the impact of different wheelbases and tires on fuel economy, and the effect of using electrical heating compared to fuel-fired heaters, to name a few.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory works with a half-dozen school districts nationwide to provide data for its FleetREDI analyzer. But none of the school districts operate in New York, though NREL is actively looking to recruit additional electric bus fleets, a representative told a panel audience at the ACT Expo in April.

Other nonprofit clean energy consultants could potentially perform or facilitate testing. But first, NYSERDA would need to provide guidance.

“Even so, the timeline could be hard to meet,” another EV consultant added.

The post State Budget Calls for Real-world Range Testing for Electric School Bus Sales appeared first on School Transportation News.

Congress debates green regulations as bus manufacturers and school districts adjust and wait. The Great Seatbelt Debate continues as Illinois moves closer to requiring lap/shoulder belts on school buses.

Denise Donaldson is the editor and publisher of Safe Ride News Publications and an instructor for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s child passenger safety technician course offered at STN EXPO and the TSD Conference. She discusses training, guidelines, and legislation updates relating to the securement and transportation of young students or those with special needs.

Read more about special needs.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

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Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E261) A Safe Ride: Market Shifts & Child Passenger Securement appeared first on School Transportation News.

President Donald Trump signed Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that overturn U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waivers of key California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations, aimed at enforcing stricter emissions and goals for selling zero-emission vehicles, and states and truck manufacturers are  rethinking their strategies.

The CRA upends plans to implement Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), which would require manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission chassis, including those for school buses by 2035. The CRA also targets Advanced Clean Cars II that would require all passenger car, truck and SUV sales be zero-emission in 2035 and the Omnibus Heavy-Duty Low NOx regulations for off-road emissions.

Trump signed the CRA on Thursday, and California announced it is suing the Trump administration over the President’s approval of “illegal resolutions aiming to undo key parts of the state’s clean vehicles program,” Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said. 

“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues, and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process. We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters,” Newsom said.

Additionally, the weight of the future of zero-emission vehicles and clean air requirements will fall on states and OEMs. Many OEMs are taking a wait and see approach.

“Today’s votes in the Senate fly in the face of nearly 50 years of precedent. For decades, California and other states have had the authority to adopt vehicle emissions standards that exceed those at the federal level, and for good reason,” said Dan Lashof, senior fellow at World Resources Institute (WRI), when the CRA passed the Senate May 22. “These standards are vital in protecting people from the vehicle pollution which causes asthma attacks and other serious health problems.”

CARB Chair Liane Randolph released a statement disapproving of the CRA waivers, noting that it is a “short-sighted political move” and a strike against the long-term goal of zero-emission vehicles.

“California profoundly disagrees with today’s unconstitutional, illegal and foolish vote attempting to undermine critical clean air protections,” she wrote. “It’s an assault on states’ rights the federal administration claims to support that puts national air quality standards out of reach and will have devastating effects for the 150 million Americans who breathe unhealthy air every day. These actions are contrary to the text of the Congressional Review Act, as recognized by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian. California will pursue every available remedy to challenge these actions and defend our right to protect the public from dangerous air pollution. Turning the clock back on both cleaner combustion engine requirements and zero-emission technology is an attack on clean air.”

Meanwhile, states that voted to adopt CARB’s regulations are postponing enforcement. Four of the 10 states that follow CARB (Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and Vermont) have pushed back their ACT compliance timelines by a year or more.

While not a CARB-specific state, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced earlier this month it is extending its suspension of enforcement of its own Pennsylvania Heavy-Duty Diesel Emissions Control Program until Jan. 2, 2028.

This includes school buses and the ACT rule. Gerry Wosewick, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, said the government agency has been working hard with partner organizations to roll back this requirement.

“This has been a legislative priority for us for quite a few years now and we have been advocating for it pretty heavily during that time,” Wosewick said. “It was actually a part of [the PSBS] legislative committee’s [strategy] plan. Since this is a regulatory issue, we have had several pieces of legislation that have been entered over multiple sessions in an effort to best address this change. Despite our lobbying efforts, we have been unsuccessful in getting any legislation through.”

With the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, MTA and others, Wosewick said there was enough pressure to address the regulation, which was key to getting it delayed.

“I oftentimes refer to it as the death by a thousand paper cuts in Pennsylvania,” he added. “While our contractors are phenomenal and find new and innovative ways to continue operations, it’s the constant small regulatory and statutory changes that keep making it more difficult to operate in the industry.”

Instead, he commented the industry should be able to work collaboratively to focus on timely emissions rollouts, as opposed to being forced to respond to regulatory drives.

Related: Despite Federal Funding in Peril, California State Funding for EVs Continues
Related: CARB Uses $33M in Funding to Target Other Zero-Emissions School Travel
Related: The State of Green School Buses
Related: Report Highlights Shift in Federal Policy from EVs to Conventional Fuels

Back at the federal level, the budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives May 22 is a comprehensive piece of legislation proposing significant changes, including scaling back the tax credits for clean energy included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

WRI noted that if the cuts in the current iteration of the bill are passed, “average Americans will see severe consequences: Businesses will face more red tape and uncertainty; it will be more difficult and costly to meet growing electricity demand; consumers will see skyrocketing electricity prices; workers will lose jobs; and local governments will encounter barriers to implementing programs that benefit their communities and save money,” it said in a statement.

The organization added that it would erase much of the $400 billion in investment and savings that clean energy tax credits have generated thus far.

“The proposed sudden elimination of the credits, which support low and no emission vehicle technologies, including the Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit (45W) and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C), will not only hinder the transition to cleaner vehicles and healthier communities but will pose immediate logistical and financial challenges to school districts, municipalities and others who have already made plans and budget decisions predicated on being able to access these credits,” WRI said. “Moreover, eliminating these credits means we are limiting consumer choice and ceding competitiveness in this growing market to China.”

The article has been updated to reflect Trump signing the CRA. 

The post Update: Congress Shifts Tide in Regulatory Demands for Clean Energy appeared first on School Transportation News.

A Thursday webinar stressed the importance of student transportation departments taking an active role in school district-wide efforts to modernize facilities and electrify school buses despite funding shortages.

Marcus Gilmore, senior advisor of clean mobility strategy for webinar sponsor ENGIE North America, shared that despite the staffing and purchasing issues school transportation is facing, electric school bus (ESB) momentum continues. The World Resources Institute reports 13,860 ESB deployments or commitments in 49 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories, and several tribal nations. Many of these buses are deployed in disadvantaged communities, he noted.

He reviewed how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program process faced unprecedented demand before proceeding with a 2024 round. Most districts also see limited state funding, which poses a challenge with federal ESB funding in question.

“Districts are getting creative,” he said, adding that funding is one piece of the puzzle, but aligning efficiency and modernization goals across school district departments is also crucial.

“Districts are getting creative.”

-Marcus Gilmore, Senior Advisor – Clean Mobility Strategy, ENGIE North America

Michael Decker, ENGIE’s senior business development manager, has nearly 30 years of experience as an administrator in Michigan public schools, culminating in his nine-year term as superintendent of St. Charles Community Schools. He spoke to the politics involved in getting a standalone project approved, especially when the district administration doesn’t have visibility into what transportation does or perceives it as competing with “core” education priorities.

He strongly advised transportation leaders to claim a seat at the table and make their voices heard by district administration. As such, student transportation leaders should attend all relevant meetings and remain in the loop with planning because other departments are also advocating for their projects.

“Being able to work in collaboration is huge,” Decker emphasized. “Request and demand that you have a chance to talk.”

While funding approvals typically come through the C-suite, he confirmed that lower-level employees and departments have crucial information and perspectives that must be heard.

“We need to have a need, we need to have desire and we need to have the funding,” he summarized.

Decker also encouraged student transporters to seek discretionary funding, after personnel cuts and other often-overlooked sources.

He noted benefits of facility modernization, which can include fleet electrification, for better student health, improved academic success, attracting more staff and student families, greater operational efficiencies, fuel cost savings, performing needed upgrades, and ending the “kick the can down the road” mentality.

He advocated for affordable comprehensive improvements, since repairs within the walls and roofs are just as important as more public facing facilities. Solar power, battery storage, lighting and transformers are examples of upgrades that give districts a quick return on investment. EV fleet infrastructure, roof upgrades, major HVAC, and window repairs provide a longer return on investment.

Decker shared that, during its free, graded assets survey or consultation, ENGIE will seek holistic improvement opportunities in a district. The company is also brand agnostic with its proposed solutions.

Related: Funding, Data and Resiliency Needed for Electric School Bus Success
Related: (STN Podcast E251) Making Safety Safer: Seatbelts, Technology, Training & Electric School Buses
Related: Roundup: Green Bus Summit at STN EXPO East Sounds Optimistic Tone
Related: Gallery: Ride & Drive Caps Day of Technology Demos, Green Energy Panels
Related: Despite Federal Funding in Peril, California State Funding for EVs Continues
Related: Future of Clean School Bus Program?

Gilmore reviewed the example of San Marcos Unified School District in California’s San Diego County, which implemented a resilient microgrid for its ESB fleet to satisfy district officials’ desires to cut overall energy costs to help fund the initiative. District-wide cost control measures include LED lighting, solar power, battery energy storage, and HVAC mechanical replacements.

Aromas-San Juan USD, a small rural district in Central California, wanted to improve its energy efficiency, resiliency and sustainability with a comprehensive approach. ENGIE provided the district with an energy services contract comprised of district-wide measures: Solar power, more than 20 new HVAC units, programmable thermostat upgrades, a backup generator for energy resilience, and installation of Wi-Fi on school buses which helped support distance learning for students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decker noted that lighting upgrades are an important yet often overlooked improvement for cost savings, which webinar host STN Publisher Tony Corpin noted requires a conversation with the facilities manager.

Gilmore cautioned against purchasing ESBs solely because there is currently federal funding. Without doing the necessary homework and future planning, he said ESBs could end up parked on a district lot unused.

Transportation infrastructure ultimately supports students’ education and economic prowess, which is the main goal, Decker said. “Make it attractive so we attract more students and fulfill their needs,” he commented.

Watch the webinar on demand. 

The post Why Student Transporters Must Seize a Seat at the Table appeared first on School Transportation News.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — What was considered “plug and play” solution years ago, that being fleet electrification, is far more complicated. OEMs, vendors and transportation leaders are highlighting the continued challenges but also the benefits of electric school buses while also promoting collaboration as the industry enters uncharted territory. But continued funding is necessary.

Brad Beauchamp, EV product segment leader for Blue Bird, moderated a related session, “School Bus Sector: Rolling out the New Generation of School Buses,” on April 30 at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo that provided the perspectives of two student transporters, a leader of electrification at the nation’s largest school bus contractor, a mechanical engineer, and a smart charging technology provider.

Mike Bullman, director of transportation for the South Carolina Department of Education. described the uniqueness of The Palmetto State, as the DOE owns and maintains all 5,600-plus school buses. Bullman noted the fleet fuel makeup is currently 88 percent diesel, 10 percent propane, and three-and-a-half percent electric. He noted that his operation has taken a multi-pronged approach to alternative fuels with a focus on advancing technology.

He added that the South Carolina state specifications committee will be convening in the this summer, and gasoline will be on the agenda as well. “We feel that fleet diversity is very important as we certainly move into the future,” he said.

The South Carolina fleet travels 78 million miles a year and supports 77 public school districts. Those 78 million miles serve 365,000 students a day using about nine or 10 million gallons of diesel fuel annually and 1.2 million gallons of propane. There are 42 statewide school bus maintenance facilities and a staff of about 375 employees, with an annual budget of $170 million.

“It’s quite a large endeavor,” Bullman shared.

In addition to fuels, Bullman is focused on technology adoption. “We take a safety-first approach, but we want to make sure that technology is in there,” he said, adding that buses have tire pressure monitoring systems, stability control, camera systems, stop arm cameras, student management, GPS tracking. “All of that is part of this comprehensive multi-prong approach,” he added.

He noted that preventative and predictive maintenance are also important. Bullman and his team in South Carolina lead the inspection program offered at STN EXPO conferences.

Bullman’s department also has a statewide routing program and a comprehensive driver training program. “Additional investments in charging and fueling infrastructure is on our list and important to us, long cycle cost analysis for vehicle procurement, and staff training,” he said.

He added that South Carolina will continue to seek additional funding sources, noting that was the main driver for purchasing electric vehicles. In 2021, the state received $1.3 million in grant money to purchase four electric school busses and in 2022 received $6.6 million to purchase 16 EVs and then in 2024 they got another $6.9 million to purchase another 20.

He added that with the EVs, they are seeing cost savings with maintenance and operating costs, it’s the initial cost gap that needs to be bridged. “I personally and professionally believe that the school bus space is an ideal space for an electric vehicle,” he said. “It just fits. You’ve got long dwell times. You’ve got repeatable routes. Certainly, 80 to 90 percent of the routes in South Carolina can be covered quite comfortably with an EV bus.”

Bullman cited the current challenge is uncertainty surrounding federal funding for ESBs — which many in the industry would agree with. He noted that without grants, South Carolina would not have been able to purchase electric, citing the cost gap with diesel. He noted that data collecting will be key and help to convince naysayers that this is the right technology moving forward.

Sam Hill-Cristol, director of strategy and business development for The Mobility House, noted that V2G technology is a way to offset some of those costs. “We’re optimistic about the contributions that V2G revenues can make in the total cost of ownership calculation,” he said.

He noted that while there are ongoing V2G projects across the U.S., it is currently not scalable. He expects V2G to gain more popularity in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Lauren Lynch, senior mechanical engineer with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), noted that the agency focuses on energy systems research and development with an eye on data collection. She said NREL provides data to fleets of school buses to enable fleet managers who are adopting the technologies to better understand their use and performance.

She said the fully funded program is a free service to fleets right now. Going forward, she explained that NREL will provide buses with a data logger that works in conjunction with telematics systems, so it won’t interfere with other data logging taking place on the bus. The data is transferred to NREL, who stores the data and conducts an analysis. Currently, they are working with seven different fleets and aim to collect data for at least 30 days. NREL is also hoping to capture a year after year performance and is coming up on year two working with Beaverton School District near Portland, Oregon.

“It’s been exciting, and we’re expanding our analysis to include a maintenance and cost study,” she shared. “We want to ensure that we provide a value back to the fleets. So, as part of our overall objective, we not only want to provide this analysis to the fleets, where we highlight key insights or maybe identify some areas of opportunity, but we also hope to utilize the data as an aggregated study for the vocation, utilize the data and other tools and models to inform driver developments or address any barriers within the industry.”

She explained that the data shows electric buses are more efficient than other powertrains. They do, she confirmed, have higher capital costs but have resulted in an overall lower dollar-per-mile cost when operating the same routes.

“We’re looking at all powertrains within the fleet to understand the performance of each and identifying areas of opportunity and what’s going well,” she explained, adding that the end-goal is to make the electric school bus data publicly available via the online tool FleetREDI. Currently, the website has data on heavy- and medium-duty findings.

San Marcos Unified School District in California also received about $30 million in grant funds for infrastructure and school buses. “It was very overwhelming,” Executive Director of Transportation Mike Sawyer said.

He noted that the district had 84 old diesel buses, so he started applying for grants — one of them being the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program grant in California and the Zero Emission School Bus and Infrastructure Program — and the money kept flowing.

To help him navigate all the funding, he said he reached out to partners, including Engie, which helped San Marcos find inefficiencies in charging infrastructure. Engie helped San Marcos create “one of the biggest” charging infrastructure bus yards. Phase one was completed with 40 EV chargers, six of which are 120 kW, the remainder being 30 kW chargers. Phase two, which is about to break ground, will bring the district to a total of 75 chargers.

The location holds about one megawatt of solar and 1.5 megawatts of battery storage, and it includes a 60kW diesel generator to serve as backup if the power goes out. Sawyer noted SMUSD currently has 33 electric buses on the road.

Providing a Service

Meanwhile, First Student operates over 45,000 school buses across 43 states and eight Canadian provinces. Of those, 450 are electric vehicles.

“EVs, they are providing not only cleaner and quieter rides to school, but these kids are arriving to school calmer,” said Jennifer Harp, the contractor’s vice president of the electric vehicles program, discussing a recent project in rural Westville, Illinois that electrified its entire fleet of 17 school buses with help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program, IRA tax credits, and the Illinois Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust program.

“They had some limited resources,” she said, adding that they were on a lease property and needed an infrastructure solution that would avoid high costs.

She added the company integrated its First Charge, a trenchless, flexible and quick-to-deploy. purpose-built charging hub with that removes the barrier of having to trench locations.

Harp also noted First Student currently deploys 14 First Charge units. It took about nine months to deploy the one operating in Westville.

“If we want to follow Westville’s playbook for electrification success, we really need to remember that continued success in this space requires continued funding incentives from all of our government sectors,” she said. “It also requires that we minimize costly infrastructure as much as possible. Requires partnerships and a willingness to share those learnings. …With the right strategy and infrastructure, school bus electrification is not only possible, it is absolutely practical.”

Related: (STN Podcast E257) The Paths Forward: AI, Clean Energy, Manufacturing Discussed at ACT Expo
Related: Gallery: ACT Expo 2025
Related: Cummins CEO Says Mixed Fuel Approach is Key for Commercial Sector

She noted the conversations on battery-electric adoption at ACT Expo have evolved from the initial belief that it could be a plug-and-play option. “If you’ve been here long enough, you know that it’s not that simple,” she shared. “Fleet electrification takes partnerships, very strong partnerships, high increased project coordination, industry standardization, and, above all else, patience.”

Meanwhile, The Mobility House provides smart charging to fleets to over 2,500 sites globally, 100 of which are location in North America. Hill-Cristol shared that the grand vision is to achieve “zero emission transportation at zero cost,” he said. “We think we can get there in some cases, through the technology that we provide.”

He explained that vehicle grid integration is an umbrella term The Mobility House uses to talk about a suite of use cases that are becoming more common with the next-generation electric school bus projects.

“The days of going to the utility, getting a totally new service, 100 percent paid for, putting in enough capacity for every charger to be on at once, and then just turning it on and not worrying, I think those days are pretty much behind us,” he said, adding that now customers are looking for ways to solve challenges, like vehicle-to-grid, charging off peak and backup power integration.

Hill-Cristol also mentioned off-grid supplemental solutions, which consists of using solar storage or a backup generator to help with capacity challenges and the delay in receiving chargers. All of this is also provided by The Mobility House.

He elaborated that the off-grid solutions can be either a long-term or temporary solution. For instance, some districts are using it as a bridge as they wait for their infrastructure, whereas some districts can solely use it as a charge management system. Other use cases include a micro-gird if districts need additional power on site.

“Depending on where you fall on that spectrum, and the investment that you’re making, I think that would lead you to the conclusion of whether this is a two-to-five-year solution or whether this is going to be something that sticks around,” he said. “Because with the right combination of technologies, you’re also going to get operational cost saving.”

The post Funding, Data and Resiliency Needed for Electric School Bus Success appeared first on School Transportation News.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Orange Grove Charter School, based in Charleston, South Carolina, continues to go green and sets a new standard by converting a majority of their diesel school buses to run on renewable natural gas (RNG). Today, the Charleston-based charter school announced they are the first in the nation to convert their school bus fleet to the DEMI-NeuFuel diesel displacement platform.

The DEMI-NeuFuel school bus platform (aka the “CowFartBus”) is made possible, through a partnership between Ingevity, a specialty chemicals and materials manufacturer based in North Charleston, South Carolina, and American CNG, based in Layton, Utah.

This fleet conversion follows a successful pilot program with Orange Grove Charter School upfitting an existing school bus with Ingevity’s NeuFuel technology and American CNG’s DEMI Diesel Displacer system. Together, the platform enables buses to run on a blend of diesel and RNG, a near-zero carbon fuel that is derived from the biodegradation process of organic matter from agricultural, landfill, and wastewater facilities. This system is designed for use on in-service, existing diesel school bus and does not require districts or contractors to purchase new buses. Orange Grove CEO, John Clendaniel, says the new system will save the school $750 dollars a month in addition to helping clean up the environment.

Orange Grove’s school bus fleet will now rely on this highly cost-effective and sustainable platform utilizing low-pressure technology to unlock the value of lowcost natural gas, specifically highly sustainable RNG, by using a natural gas hook up
installed on their Charleston, South Carolina campus.

Through the use of the DEMI-NeuFuel technology and RNG, Orange Grove will reduce its fuel costs by over 25%, displacing approximately 270 gallons of diesel per month, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 32.6 metric tons per year, which is equivalent to 18,549 miles driven by a school bus (Based on EPA greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator and the Department of Energy’s AFLEET Tool).

“This project marks a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainable
transportation and demonstrates how we can reduce our carbon footprint and provide cleaner air to our students and our community, while we remain financially prudent,” said John Clendaniel, CEO of Orange Grove Charter School.

“Ingevity is proud to support Orange Grove’s sustainability journey with the deployment of our DEMI-NeuFuel platform across their entire fleet. This project highlights the benefits of low cost natural gas and zero-to-low carbon RNG as a transportation fuel designed specifically for school bus fleets supporting the transition to a lower cost and more sustainable mode of operations,” said Dante Marini, Product Engineer at Ingevity. “Ingevity’s NeuFuel technology and American CNG’s DEMI Diesel Displacer system can provide school bus fleet operators with the flexibility they need to address their unique requirements without compromise to vehicle or fleet operations.”

“The team has done an excellent job in making the process seamless for drivers.”
said Steve Arato Senior, Bus Driver at Orange Grove Charter School. “Our drivers have all noticed a smoother and quieter operation, which makes for a better ride. Overall, I feel proud knowing that what I’m driving is good for the school financially and better for the environment.”

Orange Grove Charter School was an early adopter of the school bus technology with their initial pilot program beginning in early 2023. Today, this low-pressure RNG solution continues to be utilized across various vehicle classes with school districts, independent bus contractors and other fleets around the country in Wyoming, New Jersey, Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Alabama, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina and others. These fleets engaging in pilot programs and follow-on orders are enjoying the sustainability benefits of RNG as well as significantly reduced fueling costs.

The post Orange Grove Charter School First in the Nation to Convert Their Bus Fleet to a Greener Solution Using DEMI-NeuFuel. appeared first on School Transportation News.

While navigating funding and economic uncertainties, transportation leaders may find value in creating opportunities through strategic collaboration.

If transportation projects on their own are not likely to win support in your upcoming budget cycle, they may have a path forward when aligned with other district objectives in comprehensive facility modernization programs. Such programs can bundle multiple projects into one initiative — addressing aging systems and facilities, reducing costs, and making other improvements that matter to superintendents, chief business officers, and facilities directors alike.

In this webinar, you will learn how districtwide, multi-measured facility improvement programs can capture incentive funding while generating energy and operational cost savings. These incentives and savings can help fund transportation upgrades like EV charging, school bus Wi-Fi, and other fleet improvements. Innovative programs can also create STEM engagement opportunities for students and teachers.

In this webinar, you will learn about:

• Updates on school transportation funding
• Strategies for aligning goals across departments and leadership roles from a superintendent’s perspective
• Case studies featuring districts that developed comprehensive modernization programs to enhance learning environments, generate cost savings, and fund transportation upgrades

Brought to you by ENGIE North America

REGISTER BELOW:

Presenters:

Marcus Gilmore
Senior Advisor, Clean Mobility Strategy
ENGIE North America

Marcus Gilmore has over a decade of experience in the clean energy sector, leading impactful sustainability initiatives for corporations, cities, and governments. At ENGIE, he works with organizations to develop and implement strategies for transitioning to zero-emission vehicle fleets and other clean energy solutions. Previously, Gilmore led multiple state and utility market transformation programs accelerating electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and medium/heavy-duty vehicle fleet electrification. He holds an MS in PR and Corporate Communications from NYU and an MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford.

Michael Decker
Senior Business Development Manager
ENGIE North America

Michael Decker has nearly 30 years of experience as an administrator in Michigan public schools, culminating in his 9-year term as Superintendent of St. Charles Community Schools. He brings this wealth of practical insight to ENGIE, as he helps both schools and local government agencies find more efficient ways to meet their infrastructure needs. He holds an MA in Secondary Education from Central Michigan University and a BA in Business Administration in Marketing and Management from Northwood University.

The post (Free Webinar) Modernizing School Transportation in Uncertain Times: Strategies to Align & Achieve Goals Across Departments appeared first on School Transportation News.

ANAHIEM, Calif. — “It’s an honor to kick off ACT Expo 2025,” said Jennifer Rumsey, chair and chief executive officer of Cummins. “We’re in a very different place than we were just a year ago. We always knew the energy transition was going to be dynamic, and it’s clear now it’s going to be even more dynamic, more uncertain, more divergent than we ever thought it would be.”

Rumsey, who has spent the last 25 years at Cummins first as a mechanical engineer and later as an executive, noted in her opening general session April 28 that regulations were driving the industry toward a net-zero future. Cummins, like most large OEMs, was investing a record amount of money to meet those goals. Yet, concerns regarding infrastructure investment to support the emerging technology also existed.

She said the trucking and bus industry is just now starting to understand how the Trump administration’s policies might impact the future.

“There’s proposals to reconsider or reevaluate EPA regulations and natural uncertainty as this process takes shape, the incentives for battery electric vehicles offered through the IRA used onshore manufacturing and help drive adoption are back on the negotiating table, and tariffs are being used as trade policies and also impacting our businesses,” Rumsey explained. “So, what does this mean for us today? It means there’s more uncertainty than ever before about the role regulations, incentives and trade policies will play for the future of our industry.”

She commented that despite a potential rollback of regulations, Cummins is continuing to invest billions of dollars to innovate and develop cleaner, more advanced and efficient technologies. “I’ve seen us over the last several decades, we’ve made real progress, real impact together,” she said, adding that even in terms of diesel engines, the industry has significantly reduced emissions and improved fuel efficiency.

She noted that “advancements in fuel injection systems, turbo chargers, after treatment and controls, have reduced NOx and particulate emissions by more than 98 percent in the U.S. and 90 percent globally,” she continued. “To put that into perspective, today, it takes 60 class eight semis to emit what a single semi-truck emitted in 1988.”

Cummins, she said, has improved the per-gallon fuel mileage for its on highway heavy duty engines by nearly 25 percent since 2010. The company also set a goal of reducing 55 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its products already in the field from 2014 to 2030. That equates to 5.4 billion gallons of diesel fuel and almost $20 billions in savings.

“In fact, we are hitting that goal early,” Rumsey shared. “I’m pleased to share our goal to double our efforts for products and use over the next five years, helping many of you further improve fuel efficiency and reduce operating costs.”

She said all of this was achieved while also navigating challenges such as the COVID-19 recession and subsequent supply chain disruptions.

“I believe this is a time for us to come together to move the industry forward, to focus on the positive impact we can have in the midst of the uncertainty and challenges we are facing right now,” she said. “I remind myself each day of the beauty and goodness and the people and the world around us, and the opportunity that I and we all have to make a positive difference to ensure a planet where we our kids and our grandkids have access to clean air and water.”

She explained that everyone plays a role in empowering a more prosperous world. She provided three elements that she thinks be essential for success, the first being the right government regulations.

“We need to set clear and challenging but also achievable goals that drive innovation and allow the best technologies to compete and help meet the standards we set,” she said. “We need certainty and time to meet them, regulations that force the adoption of certain technologies may exclude some of the best solutions, and they may also overlook meaningful improvements in today’s technologies. We don’t want to let perfect be the enemy of good.”

She explained that many power solutions and alternative fuel sources will be in the mix for a long time. These include diesel, biodiesel blends, natural gas and hydrogen engines, as well as battery electric, fuel cell and hybrid solutions, “because no single solution will meet our broader goals.”

“Fair and unbiased regulations enable businesses to invest in a diverse portfolio of technologies that drive innovation and give choice to nations’ fleets,” she continued.

Second, she said the industry must consider the life cycle emissions of fuel or energy when making decisions on emission reduction and standards. Rumsey explained that it’s not just about the tail pipe emissions, but the complete cost of fuel production, transportation and distribution.

She said the industry also needs to continue making innovative improvements in technology offerings “that both reduce greenhouse gas and improve fuel efficiency, allowing our customers to find the most efficient, cost-effective solutions for their business and application needs,” she said.

She noted that improved fuel efficiency is the biggest greenhouse gas emission savings opportunity. “Our industry will continue operating internal combustion engines for many years, and it’s important to continue to make tangible and incremental improvements to diesel, while also advancing low carbon alternate fuels to give customers choice as the infrastructure builds out,” she said.

Related: First Student’s Kenning Discusses School Bus Electrification, Technology Innovation
Related: Report Highlights Shift in Federal Policy from EVs to Conventional Fuels
Related: Gallery: ACT Expo 2025
Related: (STN Podcast E257) The Paths Forward: AI, Clean Energy, Manufacturing Discussed at ACT Expo

For example, the new Cummins X15 engine is designed to improve fuel economy by 4 percent while greatly reducing NOx. She added, however, that battery-electric technologies are a part of the solution mix for reducing emissions and aligning with sustainability goals.

“Lithium-ion battery price per kilowatt hour has dropped by more than 85 percent in the last decade, and we are starting to see an increasing number of economic cases for electric vehicle adoption in certain commercial vehicle applications,” she said. “For example, Blue Bird has delivered more than 2,500 school buses equipped with electric powertrains and estimates that more than 90 percent of school bus routes can now be served by electric buses. That said, we need to continue to innovate in this space to ensure total cost of ownership gets close to that of diesel and enable adoption.”

She added that Cummins is partnering with Paccar, Daimler Truck of North America and Amplify Cell Technologies to manufacture lithium-ion phosphate battery cells for commercial vehicles at a plant outside of Memphis, Tennessee. A spokesman later told School Transportation News that the battery cells will be ready for market in 2027.

“While we’re currently in a period of vast uncertainty, my hope is that we can be unquestionably certain about one thing, our shared commitment to continue powering a more prosperous world to moving forward together, because no one can do it alone,” she said.

The post Cummins CEO Says Mixed Fuel Approach is Key for Commercial Sector appeared first on School Transportation News.

Every Day In K-12 Transportation is an Adventure!
Tyler Technologies

Tyler Technology’s interactive session provided attendees with a peek into a day at a school district using its Total Tyler integrated suite of offerings. Weston Bartlett, manager of the Tyler account executive team; Crystal Duchane, account representative and supervisor; and Jason Riley, chief accounting officer, played school office staff, including: the transportation director, mechanic, a school bus driver and a student. 

They showed how a science teacher, for example, can log into the system and request a field trip. The transportation director receives a link in his email which brings him into the software to approve the request and schedule it out to a driver, which the driver sees on their tablet. The software provides notification of any conflict, such as if the driver has an afternoon route.

The demo showed how the driver can complete his or her pre-trip inspection with the tablet, which recognizes if an inspection failed and a new bus is needed. For example, if there’s a broken headlight, the driver can take a picture on the inspection tablet.

Once the maintenance manager receives the notification that the headlight is broken, panelists illustrated how they can log into the fleet-specific dashboard to see the new work order, including notes and photos and can assign it to a technician.

Dispatchers have a specific portal through which they can utilize routing parameters and the fleet schedule to make changes, which are sent to driver tablets. Panelists showed that notifying parents with cellphone push notifications can be done directly from the system as well.

The demonstration included RFID cards for students, which are scanned upon boarding a bus. If a student scans onto the wrong bus, the driver tablet receives a notification and it shows which is the correct bus. School administrators can also go in and find student rider information if they need it for parents.

The presenters shared that software builds an optimized route based on district parameters, which can easily be updated yearly. Any rerouting needed after missed turns happens automatically, with the system not finding the quickest way, but the safest route. They explained that drivers can create a bus route on the fly with a random group of students, based on who is scanned on the bus.

Tyler representatives confirmed that cybersecurity and student registration systems are available through Tyler. They advised that the integrated pieces of the platform may be purchased at one time or in pieces over time as the district sees fit.

Mitigating Risk on the Road: Proactive Fleet & Student Safety Management
Zonar

Zonar’s session first centered on its Fault IQ product, a diagnostic software for predicting school bus faults before they happen and grabs data throughout a mixed fleet regardless of the OEM. Matt Dickey, Zonar’s vice president of regional sales, was joined by Bryant Maxey, senior product marketing specialist and Sales Engineer Erick Cole. They explained that they’ve seen a 25 percent reduction in maintenance costs, a 20-50 percent reduction in downtime and a 10-20 percent increase in vehicle lifespan.

They advised installing a dual facing Zonar camera in a school bus during the first 30 days of a driver’s employment to monitor behavior and help determine if the driver will work out. It also serves as a coaching and training tool since transportation leaders can view recommended videos based on severity, analyze driver scorecards and trends and exonerate drivers

Transportation staff can receive real time safety alert notifications, access video evidence in minutes, customize the video resolution and download format, view incidents on a map of the route and leverage the RideView companion app for video management.

Upcoming features discussed included backup cameras with a full 360-degree experience and AI accident recreation reports which can read video of an incident, detect the key points and explain what happened.

Best Practices with Student Ridership
Transfinder

Terrell Doolen, professional services manager for Transfinder, and Zachary Moren, manager of enablement and engineering, reviewed why tracking student ridership in real-time is important to today’s parents, how to collect ridership data through scanning students on the bus through RFID cards or manual driver input and what to do with the data once it is captured.

Notifications can be sent to just the parents who have children on a specific bus. Data can also be added on special needs or other pertinent information drivers should know.

They added that the benefits of collecting and having this data readily available include bus breakdown tracking, vehicle utilization optimization and route consolidation due to driver shortages.

They advised tracking registered riders against actual ridership to produce custom reports based on district needs as well as trip efficiency reports for better routing, enabling districts to take action based on real-time data. Dashboards can be created or reports run automatically.

Doolen and Moren explained that Transfinder staff will visit districts to conduct train the trainer events consisting of teaching the drivers about the technology. Instead of having to wait till the end of the school year to make changes, they said transportation staff could make them during the year and send out notifications to parents to let them know right away.

Some attendees said they were looking to add this technology soon and panelists advised getting complete data sets, noting that full participation from all departments was needed for a successful integration.

Related: (STN Podcast E252) Onsite at STN EXPO East in Charlotte: School Bus Technology Interviews
Related: First Student’s Kenning Discusses School Bus Electrification, Technology Innovation
Related: Gallery: Ride & Drive Caps Day of Technology Demos, Green Energy Panels
Related: Gallery: Second Day of STN EXPO East Green Bus, Technology Sessions
Related: STN’s 2021 School Bus Technology Super Users

Bus Technology Summit Lab & Demo
Geotab

Business Development Manager Craig Berndt focused on how the Geotab system can utilize data for better school bus driver monitoring and training. He added that while it can consolidate multiple different camera systems and provide video review for incidents no matter the camera vendor, it can also use data like speed, stops and following distance. The Collision Reconstruction feature, Safety Center and Risk Analytics give drivers safety scores and assess the likelihood of getting into an accident, using AI to contextualize the driving habits and lower the risk of collision.

During the hands-on demo, attendees logged into the Geotab website and app to see how trip data was recorded. They saw examples of customizable rules and alerts regarding harsh braking, speeding, hard turns and more. The system can recognize if the vehicle stops for longer than 200 seconds, if the ignition is turned on and off too many times, if a driver is idling in a specific area, if the door is opened while the bus was moving, and more.

The GoTalk device can beep at drivers to alert them to rules being broken, and automated email alerts can be sent to transportation leadership for specific incidents or drivers.

Other utilizations include giving context to maintenance info and data sharing with contractors through one database with a telematic data feed.

AI-Powered Safety: A Hands-On Experience with First Alt & Samsara
First Student

Gregg Prettyman, who was named by STN Publisher Tony Corpin “the Godfather of alternative transportation,” was with transportation network company ALC Schools for 11 years and now serves as vice president of FirstAlt by student transportation contractor First Student.

He noted that the cars and vans used for this variation of student transportation are starting to have the same onboard cameras as school buses, which is a big improvement on visibility for transportation staff.

Alan Geygan, senior strategic customer success manager, explained that Samsara is a global camera company with a single platform for operations data, which Prettyman confirmed FirstAlt can now tap into when placing the cameras on school buses. Transportation staff can toggle bus route, construction or weather map overlays to give parents information about late rides.

Geygan and Prettyman explained that the video is live and sections can be quickly downloaded, blurred, password-protected, or shared via web link, for example to law enforcement.

Notably, AI-enabled software is used to capture real-time safety alerts triggered by G-force changes like a potential or actual crash, as well as poor driver behavior like drowsy or distracted driving, which are immediately sent to relevant staff. Driver behavior coaching applications are included as the system gives audible alerts like “put down phone,” “take a break,” or “increase following [distance].” Geygan responded to an attendee question on a bus being driven by multiple drivers in a day, that there are several ways to determine which driver is at fault based on a badge scan or AI facial recognition.

Transportation staff can determine the strictness levels and set custom parameters for alerts so notifications don’t overwhelm them, Geygan confirmed. Smoking, food and drink usage recognition is in development, he added. Software updates with updated AI technology are pushed over the cloud and many integrations are available via API.

Bus Technology Summit Lab & Demo
Edulog

Jason Corbally, Edulog president and COO,emphasized the importance of product interconnectivity so routers can build routes taking into consideration attendance, walk or hazard boundaries by school, grade or program as well as so parents know their child’s bus information even if there is a vehicle substitution. He recounted an instance where a district’s 29 special needs routes were speedily rerouted based on vehicle capacity, wheelchair bays and bus depot location.

Director of Transportation Jeremy Stowe recounted how Buncombe County School in North Carolina modernized its old school bus garage with GPS, Samsung tablets, electronic route sheets, and digital time and attendance recording. He added that a parent app implementation was a life saver after Hurricane Helene.

“We had to pivot and change daily,” he said. “[The Department of Transportation] would be reopening roads faster than I could route.”

Industry veteran and consultant Derek Graham added that parents don’t like when the bus is late. “But they really don’t like not knowing the bus will be late,” he said.

Arthur Whittaker, director of transportation for Cabarrus County Schools in South Carolina, underscored the importance of community education when new tech comes to school buses and talked through potential pitfalls.

“Some parents were watching the whole route and critiquing where the bus was going. Part of the confusion was that there were three tiers, so parents would see their student’s bus running the first tier and be confused,” he said. “[Some] parents are using the app to send the kids out at the very last second but due to cellphone lag or bad signal it might lead to them not paying attention to when the bus is actually there.”

Corbally noted some districts use the parent app as a messaging system without connecting to the routing system.

Revolutionizing Student Transportation: How AI is Driving Efficiency and Addressing Budget Challenges for School Districts
HopSkipDrive

Strategic Account Executive Chris Wickman said that creativity and innovation is needed with many school bus drivers calling out or retiring, resulting in 60 percent of surveyed districts reducing school bus service. He urged listeners to not fear or avoid AI but leverage it as a tool.

Dustin Kress, software and advisory director, pointed out that HopSkipDrive’s RouteWise AI is not a replacement to a district’s current routing system but a partner that helps districts relieve burdens on staff and do what’s best for students. Using it, Colorado Springs District 11 reduced bus routes, increased wages and increased on-tine rates.

Gregory Dutton, transportation analyst for HopSkipDrive and former transportation director, noted that RouteWise AI can complete billions of calculations in an hour while considering bell times, driver constraints, students with special needs, maximum commute times and the other myriad aspects that student transporters might have to manually work in. Human expertise is still needed to analyze and confirm everything, he assured.

The presenters handed out routing scenario worksheets and attendees worked out potential schedules, identifying challenges like obtainable tiers, driver availability, teachers’ unions, community desires, and sunrise and sunset conditions. Given the problem, RouteWise AI suggested 13 schedules and brought the number of buses needed from 70 to 48. Transportation can also create models and easily share data from this application, such as cost per student rider, with district administration and other stakeholders, Kress said.

Take Action Now: How First Light’s Illuminated Solutions Are Saving Lives
First Light

First Light Sales Manager Stephen Climer and Regional Account Executive Graham Matthews shared that their technology is the most visible stop arm in the industry today, observable from over 1,000 feet away. They said the signs will not lose their yellow color for 14.5 years and come in a floating padding frame for extra durability on rough roads.

Air or electric options are available with five-year, full replacement warranties, sold through traditional dealer networks regardless of bus OEM. As recently announced, IC buses will offer the illuminated stop arms standard on CE Series buses, with electric currently in effect and equipped diesel buses coming around August 1.

Addressing light failure, the panelists said that their stop arms and school bus signs contain over 450 LED lights each with heat compressed over them.

“If you look at your product, you can’t count LED bulbs because they’re hitting fibrotic mesh and it’s dispensing the light evenly. So, if the light goes out, you would have to lose over half of the bulbs to notice a slight difference,” Climer explained.

The panelists predicted about four and a half years before the internal LED lights start to dim or go out and if a couple did, no one would notice.

To retrofit, the school bus signs take about an hour and half. Stop arms are plug and play, coming in at 15-minute installation time.

Attendees were engaged, with about one-third of the room indicating they have at least one First Light product installed on their buses.

Related: WATCH: School Bus Safety Systems Demonstrated Live at Bus Tech Summit
Related: Bus Technology Summit Session Advocates for Integrated Tech Platform
Related: Eclipse to Have Little if Any Impact on School Bus Technology

Empowering Schools Across the US
Samsara

Mackenzie Krebs, senior public sector account executive and team lead, shared that Samsara provides foundational, integrable technology that drives real-time visibility, operational safety, immediate incident response, accessible and actionable data, and fuel efficiency.

Dash cameras have panic buttons that allow districts to view the footage immediately and Satellite View includes real time location and ETA, vehicle tracking, parent portal integrations, and asset tracking. The ability to remotely pull audio in addition to video will be added next year, he confirmed.

Idling summaries illuminating fuel waste district and tracking planned versus actual route stops help improve efficiency.

He shared facets that can be used for proactive response and training, like AI based incident detection, existing camera investments, driver safety scores and automated coaching workflows. Investigative data like speeding, phone usage and seatbelt usage can be used in place of cameras so there are no SD cards or hard drives.

Krebs revealed that Canyons School District in Utah reduced incidents by 50 percent with proactive coaching and spent 75 percent less time pulling camera footage for review. It also saved $80,000 in insurance claim payouts.

He closed with Samsara’s free trial offer, since purchasing school bus technology is a five- to 10-year commitment. “We want to make sure it’s going to work for you,” he assured.

Next-Gen School Bus Safety: Tech Innovations and Cloud Solutions for a Safer Ride
Safe Fleet

Mike Hagan, president of Safe Fleet/Seon Digital Solutions Group; Chris Dutton, director of product development; Chris Fox, senior product manager of visibility solutions; and Julian Jimenez, senior product manager of violation detection and enforcement solutions, led an informative session on their Predictive Stop Arm, which utilizes radars, sensors, AI and predictive algorithms to actively notify students of imminent illegal passing danger with an audible warning.

They explained how the Stop Arm Violation Enforcement System (SAVES) issues a citation so motorists won’t repeat the offense. Video capture activates automatically when the stop arm is deployed, autonomously identifies a violating vehicle’s license plate and sends evidence to the Safe Fleet Cloud for review and enforcement. Districts can set what kind of evidence is needed and what triggers a report. Cameras show the right side of the bus too even when a left side incident is taking place because people contest tickets saying that there weren’t kids exiting the bus.

A law enforcement official does not have to witness the incident or make a report, and drivers are not distracted from students by having to activate anything manually. Presenters discussed the importance of Compelling Evidence that is handled correctly and will hold up in a court of law.

Panelists demonstrated during the demo how, during research to make the stop arm more visible, a black background with flashing red lights was found to be most effective. They promoted the security benefits of cloud data management, which also allows supervisors to gather insights about fleet operations.

Connected, Protected, Perfected: Transportant’s Evolution of Bus Safety
Transportant

National Sales Executive Paul Gandrud and Vice President of Sales Jeff Shackelford shared that technology could improve driver stress levels compared to having to follow a paper route, not knowing the names of students on their routes, and receiving no support in resolving student behavior issues.

School bus drivers are able to see names and pictures of every student assigned to each stop, which also fosters relationships between drivers and students. Students can scan on and off a bus with an RFID card or a driver can check in each student on their tablet.

Robyn Pickard, transportation director for West Des Moines Community Schools in Iowa, explained how the software assists in parent communications. Real time student rosters on the Director Dashboard let office staff quickly inform parents of a student’s location in case of emergency. Staff can use the Bus Compass App to answer common questions about student locations as well as to send out messages to the whole school or just to the families of the students that are on a particular bus.

Gandrud and Shackelford explained how the Live Video System allows a driver to hit the incident button which sends a link to the Director Dashboard, where supervisors can see and hear both live and recent video, then take action to resolve or response.

These technologies are still subject to state laws. One attendee in West Virginia said parents didn’t want students’ faces on the RFID cards and another stated that in Illinois it’s illegal to gather biometric information on students.

Panelists explained that Transportant doesn’t have routing but can partner with any other routing software and is the only company that is a fully integrated cloud-based solution.

The post Roundup: Bus Technology Summit at STN EXPO Charlotte 2025 appeared first on School Transportation News.

In addition to the state’s Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), California has also awarded school districts $500 million to purchase zero-emission school buses and chargers.

The Zero-Emissions School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) project selected 133 educational agencies to receive 1,000 zero-emission school buses and related charging infrastructure to school districts and other local educational entities. Statewide grants are expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

ZESBI is a program in collaboration between the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), and is administered by CALSTART, a nonprofit clean transportation organization.

“Cleaning up the state’s school bus fleet is central to California’s efforts to provide clean transportation in priority communities that are disproportionately hurt by air pollution,” stated CARB Chair Liane Randolph. “The vast majority of these grants will go to local educational agencies that serve these communities.”

Related: Update: Quebec Government Passes on Saving Lion Electric, Companys End Imminent
Related: Infrastructure Investor I Squared to Acquire National Express School Bus Contractors
Related: First Student’s Kenning Discusses School Bus Electrification, Technology Innovation

Meanwhile, HVIP is surging with voucher redemptions skyrocking by 177 percent from 2023 to 2024, with early 2025 data showing continued momentum. A press release states that in February alone, more than 200 HVIP-funded, zero-emission trucks and buses were deployed with $31 million in incentives.

“Over 15 years, HVIP invested $754 million, helping 2,000 fleets deploy 10,000 clean trucks and buses,” the release states, adding that the vehicles have logged more than 340 million miles.

The sale of new zero-emission trucks, buses and vans doubled in 2023, over the previous year, “representing one out of every six new vehicles sold for services including last-mile delivery, freight transportation, and school buses,” the release adds.

Several funding categories within HVIP have reached capacity, though funding remains through the transit set-aside and Innovative Small e-Fleets (ISEF) project. HVIP is also administered by CALSTART on behalf of the California Air Resources Board.

The post Despite Federal Funding in Peril, California State Funding for EVs Continues appeared first on School Transportation News.

Tony, Ryan and Taylor recap the conversations, updates and new technology showcased at the ACT Expo in Anaheim, California last week, including: how AI and automation can assist the industry, developments in clean energy choices, tariff impact on manufacturing, the dismantling of Lion Electric, and more.

Read more about ACT Expo.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

Message from School Radio. 

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E257) The Paths Forward: AI, Clean Energy, Manufacturing Discussed at ACT Expo appeared first on School Transportation News.

Transitioning a fleet of school buses from diesel to electric power can offer dramatic benefits.

eBuses (electric school buses) have the potential to significantly reduce not only noise and air pollution throughout the school district, but also the fleet’s total cost of ownership (TCO). However, the road to electrification requires careful navigation around an assortment of planning pitfalls. Every aspect of the project is complex, from planning and financing to implementation and operations.

For districts that lack the internal resources and expertise to maximize benefits across all these areas, ENGIE North America offers a turnkey eBus solution. ENGIE is the world’s number-one provider of energy services, with decades of experience supporting school districts on sustainable energy initiatives.

Read on to learn how we’re helping K-12 school districts optimize the value of their eBus transition.

Fill out the form below and then check your email for the white paper download link.

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The auction of electric school bus and truck manufacturer Lion Electric Company is moving forward after a last-ditch effort to obtain government funding from the province of Quebec fell through.

Christine Fréchette, Quebec’s minister of economy, innovation and energy, posted on X last week that the Quebec government will not reinvest in Lion after passing on a recovery plan that was submitted to save the manufacturer but on a limited scale.

“This is a difficult, but responsible decision. It’s a local company that offers an innovative product that contributes to the energy transition. The government has a responsibility to support the growth of Quebec businesses,” she posted. “We believed in Lion’s potential, but the submitted recovery plan did not justify the re-injection of significant government sums. Unfortunately, one thing is clear: Granting new funds to Lion Electric would not be a responsible decision.”

On Monday in a Quebec court, a representative of Deloitte that is overseeing the insolvency said without the additional funding all remaining Lion assets will need to be sold.

The court lifted a stay on the auction managed by Deloitte may proceed after issuing a stay in March while Lion sought the additional funding.

The company reportedly owes $244 million to secured and non-secured creditors. A Lion Electric spokesman had no comment when asked by School Transportation News.

Bloomberg News reported that an investment group created the recovery plan that would have resulted in Lion Electric only manufacturing electric school buses going forward out of its St. Jerome plant. But the province already lost $128 million U.S. in investments into Lion with the Canadian federal government losing another $30 million U.S. Ottawa had also invested in Lion.

Public Money at Risk in Lion Electric:

 

o 2021: $19 million Canadian from Investissement Québec (IQ) to purchase shares
o 2021: $37 million from a loan offered by Quebec for the battery pack plant
o 2021: $21 million from the Ottawa loan for the battery pack complex
o 2022: $15 million in a loan from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
o 2023: $98 million loaned by IQ, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Fondaction CSN
o 2024: $7.5 million in a loan from the Quebec government

Source: La Presse

Power Corp. of Canada, according to Bloomberg, was the largest Lion shareholder with a 34-percent stake but has already written down its Canadian $81 million position in the company to zero.

Montreal-based online newspaper La Presse broke the news Wednesday, reporting that an  unnamed U.S. investment firm expressed serious interest in purchasing the Lion assets, but the Quebec proposal had been the most promising.

La Presse also reported that Lion will likely be sold off in parts, which would mean the end of the company. It laid off all its employees, including those in the U.S., and ceased operations except for a select few senior executives working out of Quebec to try and salvage the company. Deloitte is overseeing the the company’s insolvency proceedings and an auction of its assets.

There are about 2,000 Lion Electric school buses at school districts and school bus companies across North America that will need maintenance and customer service going forward.

This is a developing story.

Related: Lion Electric Customers Have Options Despite Insurmountable Debit Forcing the Manufacturer to Auction
Related: Update: Lion Electric Defaults on Credit Repayment, Says It is Avoiding Bankruptcy
Related: Brunet Resigns as Lion Electric President Amid Company Battle to Stay Solvent

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Over 12,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors gathered in Anaheim, California, from April 28 to May 1, for the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo.

The largest clean fleet conference, focused on trends such as artificial intelligence, software integration, clean fuels, and more. STN is a media sponsor of ACT Expo.

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Get updates on the EPA Clean School Bus Program and dive into the State of Sustainable Fleets Report.

Gaurav Sharda, chief technology officer at Beacon Mobility, discusses how an improved relationship between IT and student transportation improves efficiency, safety and service for families.

Read more about technology.

This episode is brought to you by Transfinder.

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Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo commenced Monday with the sixth release of TRC’s State of Sustainable Fleets report, which highlighted the shift in federal policy priority to conventional fuels, away from EVs, and the rise in renewable diesel.

Following the Biden administration, which delivered unprecedented funding to electric vehicles, including electric school buses, the State of Sustainable Fleets report highlights the Trump administration’s intent to roll back many of these programs. The 2025 report notes a period of peak uncertainty due to the regulatory transformation. It notes that the U.S. transportation policy landscape is evolving rapidly, and uncertainty remains on emissions regulations.

For instance, the report notes that executive orders have the potential to jeopardize the EPA Phase 3 GHG emissions regulations for heavy-duty vehicles and guidelines for power plants as well as halted the distribution of funds under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, creating uncertainty for alternative fuel funding.

Where federal funding falls short, state and local funding exceeds. The report notes that more than 600 state and local programs totaling over $13.5 billion remain available for zero-emissions and near-zero-emissions projects, including natural gas, battery-electric, hydrogen and newer diesel vehicles.

Nate Springer, vice president of market development at TRC, commented during a media call discussing the report on the transition from a zero-emissions-friendly administration to one now favoring conventional energy sources, one of which is renewable diesel. RD saw a 28 percent increase in production in the first half of 2024 and is on track to reach 7.257 million gallons per day by the end of the year, exceeding the goal of 5 billion gallons per day.

Plus, the report noted an overall surge in natural gas, thanks to the release of the X15N engine by Cummins, which has increased Class 8 tractor registrations this year, after two years of declining registrations. However, natural gas school bus registrations saw the steepest drop, down 54 percent to 89 units. The authors attributed, in small part, the decline to Blue Bird selling off its natural inventory in 2023 and discontinuing the school bus offering in 2024.

The renewable natural gas market continues to expand nationally. Springer said that there are over 400 facilities producing RNG around the country, a 234 percent increase over the past six years.

The report noted that in previous years, tax incentives such as the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit and Low Carbon Fuel Standards lowered the total cost of ownership of natural gas vehicles, but the evolving tax structure introduces new variables. The AFTC expired at the end of 2024, and while the new 45Z tax credit created by the Inflation Reduction Act aims to replace it, details are still emerging. Plus, LCFS is currently only available in California, Washington, Oregon and New Mexico.

“There’s still some uncertainty with 45Z and just the broader IRA policy,” Todd Ellis, general manager of sales, said during last week’s media briefing. “So, we are all waiting [for] clarity around IRA and the respective programs, and once we have that, then I think [the] industry will adjust and adapt to what those look like, but it certainly could be a driver toward broader adoption, if we get the policy right. …. I think we’re all watching closely and working across [the] industry to ensure that we are we are progressing this at the at the right pace.”

Related: ACT Expo Heads Back to Anaheim, Agenda Released
Related: Districts, Contractors Discuss School Bus Electrification Journey at ACT EXPO
Related: Study Shows Increasing Complexity of Adding Electric, Alternative Fuels

Meanwhile, battery electric vehicles, despite policy rollbacks or funding pauses, continue to show market development and growth. School bus registrations rose 47 percent to 1,436 units, the report states. And despite a current lack of federal support, report authors highlight state sources and other policies to fund EVs.

In terms of the EPA Clean School Bus Program, the report notes that future funding is at a higher risk of being cut, as opposed to the CSBP rebates that have already been announced. The EPA announced last week that funds are flowing again for the 2023 rebate program and awardees are seeing money hit their bank accounts. But there was still no word on when or if the latest 2024 rebate would be awarded this spring.

The Sustainable Fleet report, based on a survey of over 200 commercial truck and bus fleets, states that federal and state funding programs continue to incentivize electric school bus deployments across the country. The authors did discuss a temporary backlog for school buses that could be on the horizon due to a limited number of manufacturers and constraints on production capacity.

“The surge in funding and subsequent orders may soon test the capacity of manufacturers, whose order books are full, potentially leading to temporary production bottlenecks,” the report states, citing four school bus manufacturers that produce the full Type A through Type D school buses, including Lion Electric that is currently being auctioned off after defaulting on multiple loans last fall that were keeping the company afloat. “Manufacturers maintain full production lines, and one manufacturer told TRC that capacity constraints could emerge once all orders are placed. This same OEM currently sees BEV lead times equivalent to their ICE lead times of six months or less, a milestone in production that could help ease any backlog. Adding further potential for an upcoming surge, many EPA grant recipients have requested and received project extensions, extending their completion deadlines from two years to three years. For instance, Blue Bird reported that 1,000 electric buses were either sold or are included in its firm order backlog during its fiscal 2025 first-quarter earnings call.”

The report adds that the commercial vehicle industry may soon face a “perfect storm” of heightened demand and containment as order delays and EPA regulatory extensions are pushing the bulk of deliveries into 2025 and 2026. The report also cited the challenge of higher electric school bus purchase costs compared to diesel models.

Where electricity in school buses is excelling is with vehicle-to-grid technology. The report states that school buses are an early adopter of V2G technology as many buses come equipped with bi-directional charging as standard. STN reported last year on the Oakland Unified School District in California that replaced its entire fleet of 74 school buses with EVs, and bi-directional charging. However, the V2G movement is slow to adopt in the pupil transportation industry, with many stating it’s not as beneficial as it is being marketed.

The report only made passing references to propane. TRC noted to School Transportation News that a supplemental report on propane would be available this summer.

The ACT EXPO continues to run through Thursday at the Anaheim Convention Center. STN is a media sponsor of ACT Expo.

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