Utah school districts have until Jan. 9 to apply for Clean School Bus funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. The program, created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, has sent more than $7.5 million to Utah schools.
Morgan, Granite, Park City, Tintic, Uintah and Guadalupe Schools were awarded funds in 2022 and 2023. The Uintah School District received $3.95 million for electric buses and chargers in the first round of funding.
The district began operating its 10 Blue Bird electric buses in the 2023-2024 school year at no cost to taxpayers. To Mark Rich, transportation coordinator for the district, "The jury’s still out.” He wants to see how the buses hold up over time before he decides whether they’re a success.
A report published in July said the switch saved the district about $65,000 a year, based on the cost of electricity compared to diesel fuel and the new buses’ lower maintenance costs.
“There's no oil changes,” Rich said. “About the only thing that's required of us to do is to put grease in their fittings and so forth about every 5,000 miles.”
The district uses electric buses for local routes and diesel buses for long trips to the Wasatch Front. Their fleet includes 28 diesel buses, 23 propane buses and 10 electric ones. Two more electric buses are on the way with funds from the 2023 cycle.
Rich said the hardest part was setting up the charging infrastructure. At first, they used slow chargers before installing fast chargers in September. They can now fully recharge their buses each night.
The district’s bus garage, which has a heated floor, is also beneficial. It was originally designed to prevent snow from sticking to the bottom of propane buses. However, charging a bus in a temperature-controlled environment is considered a best practice for efficiency.
Still, the implementation hasn’t been perfect.
“We've had some issues, but we don't feel like there is any higher rate of issues than we've had with our diesel and our propane buses,” Rich said.
Those issues, like partial battery replacements or new compressors, have been covered by warranty. When that expires, he said repair costs could start to add up quickly.
“I do think that we're on the front end of this. I think the technology is probably getting better.”
Salt Lake City School District has 12 electric buses in its 100-bus fleet. They were purchased through grants from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
“It worked out just about costing what we would spend for a diesel bus,” said Transportation Director Ken Martinez.
The buses have proven popular with their drivers.
“I have drivers waiting and wanting and wishing they could get on an electric bus,” he said.
That’s partly because student behavior is better on electric buses, which are quieter and feel more like an extension of the classroom.
“It's easier for our drivers to say ‘keep calm’ and everything, rather than trying to yell or get on the microphone, going over a loud, rattling engine.”
Still, there was a learning curve when it came to driving electric buses.
At first, drivers only got 60 miles out of a charge. After adjusting driving habits, a full-size electric bus can now cover the district’s longest route, around 80 miles — even while running the heaters.
“They've learned how to do it, how to anticipate your stops and let off the throttle, let the regenerative brakes — not only slow the bus down, but it's also charging the batteries.”
Martinez said the electric buses also have better traction in the snow and on hills because the batteries are in the center of the bus, compared to many diesel buses that have the engine in the back.
Benefits aside, the newest four buses in the fleet have been problematic.
“That actually halted me from ordering four electrics this past year, like I should have, because we were having such issues that I just didn't feel it was time to make the purchase,” Martinez said.
Going forward, he plans to lease buses from BYD to test them in cold weather before deciding whether to buy them.
The district did apply for EPA Clean School Bus funding when it was first made available, but they were rejected. Martinez said they’re applying again this go-round.
“If we get it, great. And if not, I kind of feel like, you know what? Nobody else is touching the DERA [Diesel Emissions Reduction Act] money. I'll just keep taking that.”
The EPA gives preference for Clean School Bus funds to low-income, rural and tribal districts. Applicants from Title I districts can self-certify their prioritization if they’re not on the EPA’s priority list. Uintah qualified for priority consideration because of its classification as a tribal district.
A lack of prioritization does not preclude districts from receiving funding. Morgan, Granite and Park City school districts were awarded funding without meeting any prioritization criteria.
Separate from the Clean School Bus program, the EPA recently awarded Utah with funding for 120 electric school buses. The state has not decided which districts will receive the buses and chargers, according to Ashley Sumner with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. She said they will prioritize air quality nonattainment areas.
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
