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In what could be the last grant of its type for a long time, feds give Boston enough money to buy 125 electric school buses

By adamg on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 4:59pm

Mayor Wu's office today announced a $35-million grant from the soon-to-be-decimated Environmental Protection Agency that will let BPS buy 125 30-sat battery-powered school buses.

The new buses will bring Boston closer to its goal of ferrying kids to and from school entirely in electric buses by 2030, and is part of an overall $735-milion EPA grant program aimed at replacing vehicles powered directly by fossil fuels.

Boston currently has 40 battery-powered buses, paid for in part through a separate $20-million grant and $6 million in funding from the state, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and Eversource.

In addition to reducing the amount of diesel particulates Bostonians have to breath in, the electric engines are more efficient than the diesel ones they replace.

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Comments

By anon on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 5:21pm.

Electric buses are still not solving the problems for the lack of drivers and monitors. Electric buses are not solving the problems for the Zum app. Yes upgrade the buses put seat belts and cameras on all buses but use that money to retain drivers and monitors. You’re closing schools but upgrading to electric buses and teachers are protesting. Additional staff is needed for BPS the schools are lacking spread the money.

By brianjdamico on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 8:40pm.

The grant was to buy the buses. You don't get to claim you are going to do one thing with grant money and then spend it completely differently once it is awarded.

And no matter what, BPS is going to be buying new buses. They might be powered by burning fuel in an engine or they could have battery powered electric motors but a school district of the size like Boston is going to have a fleet large enough that they will be procuring new buses fairly frequently.

Now a whole bunch of new buses that would have been bought one way or another will be funded by federal dollars which will free up cash in a future municipal budget year to be spent elsewhere, perhaps on the other priorities you are asking for.

By BostonDog on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 8:41pm.

The money is from the EPA specifically for this project. The funding can't be used for anything else.

Pollution emitting busses aren't the worst of Boston's problems but this money is "free" and electric busses are preferable to the diesel ones so there's no reason not to upgrade.

By Username Unknown on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 8:59pm.

So the first 40 busses cost $650k each and the next 125 busses only cost $280k each? I do love a government contract.

By brianjdamico on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 9:59pm.

This purchase, at higher volume, is for 30-seat buses. It looks like the RFP that allowed the grant to be applied for was looking at buying the shorter buses, from 20 to 30 seats: https://www.boston.gov/bid-listings/ev00013642

The previously purchased buses, which you note cost significantly more money, were the full length school buses that can carry up to 71 students: https://investors.blue-bird.com/news-financial-reporting/press-releases/...

By Username Unknown on Thu, 01/16/2025 - 11:03pm.

The cost difference between a 30-40 seat type A bus and a 70 seat type C bus is about 35-40% even at volume. The 2nd purchase seems to be priced right while it appears the city overpaid by $200k on each bus for the original 40. Those 40 should have cost around $400k to maybe a high of $500k if you really pimped them out. Zero oversight as usual.