These Massachusetts cities are getting more electric school buses from an EPA grant
BOSTON - President Joe Biden's administration just awarded another $1 billion to school districts across the country to buy electric school buses. And some of that money from the Environmental Protection Agency's "Clean School Bus Program" grants is flowing to Massachusetts.
Boston will get $20 million to buy 50 electric buses, more than doubling its current electric fleet. The city started a pilot program last year with 20 electric buses as part of the "Boston Green New Deal." The goal is to fully electrify Boston's school buses by 2030.
"This unprecedented federal investment will mean healthier commutes for our students and bus drivers, cleaner air in our neighborhoods, and a giant step in our transition to a greener and climate-ready City," Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement.
Another $33 million is going to third-party bus provider DATTCO, Inc. to buy 85 electric school buses in Massachusetts and Connecticut. According to the Sierra Club, 15 electric buses will go to Worcester, 10 will service New Bedford and another 10 will be used in Fall River.
"From Boston to Worcester, and Hartford to the Cape, the air will be cleaner, and kids will not be breathing in fumes that will give them asthma attacks or increase the chance of future health problems," EPA Regional Administrator David Cash said.
The Clean School Bus Program will award $5 billion through 2026 for electric buses. The EPA says that so far, $2 billion has been used to replace 5,000 school buses across the country.