Boston Public Faculties Put First 20 Blue Chicken Electrical Buses Into Operation

Boston Public Faculties (BPS) lately acquired their first batch of 20 Blue Chicken electrical faculty buses by the dealership Anderson Blue Chicken Bus Gross sales of New England. The bottom-breaking pilot initiative is the most important deployment of electrical faculty buses within the Northeast, in accordance with faculty directors and native authorities authorities. The swap to electrical faculty buses was backed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and can assist BPS in reducing dangerous greenhouse gasoline emissions whereas enhancing scholar and neighborhood well being.

These 20 Blue Chicken Imaginative and prescient electrical faculty buses can go as much as 120 miles with 71 pupils on a single cost. Based mostly on Degree III ICE 30 kW quick chargers constructed at BPS’s Readville, Massachusetts bus station, the buses want four hours to cost absolutely.

Over 2,500 children at the moment are securely and constantly being transported by Blue Chicken’s zero-emission buses to and from 42 faculties within the space every day.

“We’re thrilled by this historic partnership. This pilot program is a vital step in our work in the direction of a totally electrical fleet by 2030, as a part of the Inexperienced New Deal for Boston Public Faculties,” stated Mary Skipper, Superintendent for Boston Public Faculties. “These buses are quieter, cleaner, and are a vital a part of decreasing BPS’ carbon footprint and making a more healthy metropolis. Placing the wants of our younger individuals first is central to our mission. Clear, dependable buses that get our college students to highschool reliably, whereas additionally chopping down on pollution within the air and decreasing carbon emissions is a vital step that we should take for the well-being of Boston’s younger individuals and their future.”

“Our college students take pleasure in using on our new electrical buses. They love the quiet drive. All of us love that our college students, drivers and faculty workers usually are not being uncovered to any exhaust fumes generated by conventional, diesel-powered buses. As well as, our bus drivers have had constructive suggestions about automobile efficiency,” stated Jackie Hayes, Assistant Director of Contract Operations and Fleet for Boston Public Faculties. “Our pilot program marks an necessary step towards the electrification of our complete faculty bus fleet by 2030 to considerably cut back dangerous greenhouse gasoline emissions.”

“Blue Chicken is acknowledged as a know-how chief and innovator of zero-emission faculty buses in North America,” stated Britton Smith, Senior Vice President of Electrification and Chief Technique Officer for Blue Chicken Company, which has greater than 950 electric-powered faculty buses in operation as we speak. “We’re excited so as to add 20 electrical automobiles to Boston Public Faculties’ bus fleet and to additional assist the varsity district to place scholar and neighborhood well being first.”

With a fleet of roughly 750 buses, a couple of third of that are diesel-powered, Boston Public Faculties has relied on Anderson Blue Chicken Bus Gross sales of New England for greater than 10 years to assist with scholar transportation wants. That’s why the varsity district bought the electrical buses from Anderson for its pilot program.

“Being on the bottom flooring with Boston Public Faculties, the Metropolis of Boston and Transdev, BPS’s upkeep and operations contractor, to provoke this pilot venture and see it by to this latest deployment is one thing particular for all our workforce members that made this successful,” stated Jim Anderson, Vice President of Anderson Blue Chicken Bus Gross sales of New England. “BPS’s transition from a diesel to a propane and now an electrical powered fleet demonstrates the dedication the Boston Public Faculties and The Metropolis of Boston has undertaken to supply a cleaner, extra sustainable setting inside the metropolis boundaries: Boston EV Sturdy.”

By reducing or eliminating the gasoline and upkeep prices related to standard diesel-powered buses, Boston Public Faculties expects to reap monetary rewards. Some Blue Chicken prospects have reported diesel bus gasoline bills of as much as 49 cents per mile, whereas the common price of electrical energy for electrical buses was 14 cents per mile. That’s a giant distinction in gasoline prices, providing large financial savings!

An increasing number of faculties are realizing the advantages of utilizing zero-emission electrical faculty buses and the well being advantages they supply for college kids and faculty district personnel. Let’s hope that BPS can meet its 2030 aim of remodeling its complete fleet into 750 clear electrical buses.