Oakland schools new bus fleet for special need kids electrifies the future

Oaklands school bus fleet made up entirely of EVs

Oakland is now the first large school district in the nation to have its entire school bus fleet made up of electric vehicles. The district says these buses will not only save energy, but improve the health of children.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Unified School District's 100%, electric fleet makes it the nation's first major school system to have electric buses that transport students.

These high-tech buses can actually feed power back into the electric grid when needed, enough to power more than a million homes in a year. "Chronic asthma increases the level that kids are actually absent from school. Our special needs students tend to have some of the highest chronic absenteeism," said Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell.

The 74 buses will transport 1,300 special needs students, many who are deeply affected by pollution. "We currently only transport special needs because that's required by federal law," said OUSD Transportation Director Kim Raney.

In Oakland, kids without special needs are taken to school by parents or by public transit. The district's transportation director says diesel buses emit a lot of pollution, make a lot of noise, and ride rough. "And so, if you ride on an EV bus, it's cleaner, it's quieter for my special needs kids. They actually have a fair chance when they get to school to not be sick," said Raney.

Pacific Gas & Electric is a major partner in the effort. "My co-workers at PG&E have taken a stand that we will, we shall have clean and resilient energy for all and this project today is a perfect example," said PG&E CEO Patti Poppe. "Making the bus yard the largest vehicle based, grid supporting, clean energy resource, in the country," said Zum CEO Ritu Narayan.

What Oakland Unified is doing is on a grand scale, 74 buses, the grandest scale so far and yet, it is technology that has been proven, tried and true, year after year. "In the words of the great Oakland poet, Tupac Shakur, ‘A rose grows in concrete," said OUSD’s board president.

With every bus tracked by an online app, parents and caretakers can know exactly where the students are to and from school. This is just the beginning. "We are awarding five billion dollars, solely under our Clean School Bus Program, to electrify school buses across the country," said Cheree Peterson of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Redwood City-based Zum's broader goal is to electrify 10,000 buses nationwide, including San Francisco and L.A schools.

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