State School Districts Win Funding For Electric Buses

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WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Some Central and Northern Wisconsin school districts will be getting funding for new electric school buses to replace aging and dirty diesel buses in their fleets.

The funding will come the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and was awarded by lottery to various districts that met certain criteria.

Other states have been ahead of Wisconsin in replacing their aging fleets mostly because of the upfront cost of the electric buses which can cost up to three times as much as diesel ones.

With diesel fuel prices high, districts have been spending much more than in the past on fuel costs and will see big savings with the new buses. One district said they expect to see a savings of over $50,000 per year after adding six new buses.

They are also happy with the clean aspect. A study at the University of Michigan found that using cleaner running buses leads to healthier lung function in the kids that ride the buses and less absences from school.

The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel reported a list of school districts that will be getting the new buses. Many are in the rural northern part of the state where districts are widely spread out and have a majority of their students who are bused.

The Minocqua, and Lac du Flambeau districts will be getting the highest number of new buses. Granton will get five buses, Wild Rose will get two and Edgar one under the plan.

The districts will need to set up charging stations, also covered by grant funds, before they can make the switch to the electric buses, which could take a year or two.