Cincinnati Public Schools will be making some changes to its bus fleet.
The district announced it will replace some of its diesel-powered school buses with 10 new electric-powered yellow buses thanks to a $3.95 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency awarded to one of the district's transportation providers First Student.
While the zero-emissions buses will only make up 3% of CPS' 300-bus fleet, the move is just the first step in what the district hopes will be a major change for its transportation system.
"Once we get the infrastructure put in place for these 10, then we'll add another 10, and another 10," District Chief Operating Officer Chris Burkhardt told WVXU. "This is about starting and putting that footprint in place, putting that infrastructure in place because right now we don't have an electric vehicle grid within CPS' footprint."
The electric buses are not expected to start hitting Cincinnati streets until about 18 to 24 months from now. The change is happening slowly, but Burkhardt says the shift is part of the district's plan to move toward lower emissions, and in the long run, he says it'll be better for both students and the CPS budget.
"We know that electrical buses provide cleaner air. There are reduced health risks for children. It reduces greenhouse gas. There's also a cost savings from fuel and maintenance," Burkhardt said.
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As CPS works to improve its overall transportation system for students, the district will still mostly rely on diesel until the technology catches up. Electric buses can't travel as far and can experience issues when it gets too cold, but Burkhardt is confident that when CPS is ready to fully make the change, electric vehicles will be more reliable.
"In really cold weather the battery may give up some of their life and some of the power," he said. "We have a lot of hills and a lot of ground to cover, so we do have some challenges ahead of us, but I'm absolutely sure the technology will continue to grow."
Another one of Cincinnati's transportation providers, Petermann, also received a grant from the EPA and plans to start deploying electric buses soon. CPS is hopeful to be a recipient of some of those so it can continue to build up its zero-emissions fleet.
