Amanda-Clearcreek superintendent: Electronic buses will help reduce costs

Each day in Ohio, almost 860,000 schoolchildren hop on a traditional yellow school bus to start their days. Collectively they travel almost 180 million miles per year. That’s a lot of time to spend in a bus breathing diesel exhaust fumes and hearing the roar of the engine for our kids and bus drivers.

That is why the Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District is excited to announce that we will be implementing two electric school buses in our fleet this fall. These buses will replace older buses in our fleet, while helping the environment. They will not only save the district money immediately by eliminating the cost of purchasing two buses with operational funding, but they’ll also save the district money in the long-run on fuel and maintenance costs. It is a true win-win.

More: Amanda school district to run two electric buses next school year in pilot project

Amanda-Clearcreek was one of six districts in the state of Ohio to receive rebate dollars through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Program totaling nearly $6 million in awards. Our district was selected to receive $790,000 in funds under this program in 2022 which we have used to purchase two C2 Jouley Electric School Buses and their necessary charging infrastructure. They will be hitting the roads at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

We would not have been successful in our application to obtain this funding without the support of our District Treasurer Lana Fairchild, Board of Education President Kyle Sharp and members of the board, and our partnership with South Central Power, Claypool Electric, and Veregy, LLC. This team worked hand in hand to prepare the application, plan for the necessary charging infrastructure, and ensure our drivers are trained and ready to drive the new buses.The C2 Jouley is emissions-free, noise pollution-free and fossil fuel-free, helping the district save on operating costs. For both buses combined, the estimated annual diesel fuel savings is $39,788 and the estimated annual maintenance savings is $7,628, with a total estimated savings of $47,416 annually.

In addition to cost savings, making the switch from diesel buses is healthier for our students and bus drivers. Diesel exhaust is a known trigger for asthma attacks and other respiratory conditions that contribute to lost days of school for our kids and lost days of work for our parents.

Embracing the switch to electric buses in a small, rural community like Amanda will also give our kids the opportunity to learn about emerging vehicle technology and set a standard for similar districts across Ohio to make the change. Amanda-Clearcreek is proud to be a leader in Central Ohio in bringing these buses to our schools.

All kids deserve a clean, reliable ride to and from school. The parents in our district and those across the state depend on us to make that a reality. Ohio currently has close to 16,000 diesel buses in operation, many of which are eligible for replacement through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. Share your support for clean, electric school buses with your local school district leaders today. The funding is there for this investment, and more Ohio schools should be in the mix. Look for our buses on the road this fall!

Timothy Edwards, Ed.DSuperintendent of Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Amanda-Clearcreek superintendent: Electronic buses will help reduce costs