Some Bethlehem school students may soon be traveling on electric vehicles, thanks to a new state grant. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
State Sen. Lisa Boscola’s office announced last week that she secured a $1 million state grant for the purchase of electric school buses for the Bethlehem Area School District.
In a release, Boscola said the grant will allow the district to invest in the necessary infrastructure for a transition to electric vehicles, as well as purchase the new buses themselves.
$850,000 of the funding will go toward vehicle purchases, with the remaining money going to infrastructure.
Boscola also said, “investment in the early stages of a school district’s process of transitioning from diesel to EV buses is a prudent use of state funds.”
BASD Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy said the district has over 100 buses which travel over 6,000 miles per day, and said the district sees an electrified fleet as its future.
The district will partner with PPL as part of its EV bus initiative, to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure is in place for the first – and future – purchases of electric school buses.
Boscola also said in a statement that the new buses will provide a cleaner and healthier environment for riding students, and that electric vehicles provide cost savings, as they generally require less maintenance. She also said the district will be able to reduce its diesel purchases.
(Original air-date: 10/25/22)
