Duval County Public Schools unveiled 36 new electric school buses Thursday that students will begin riding when the new school year starts.
The new electric fleet was funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. Durham School Services will operate 26 of the buses, while Student Transportation of America will operate 10.
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District leaders said the buses will serve students on Jacksonville’s Northside, Downtown, the Beaches and in Arlington.
School officials said the electric buses are quieter than traditional diesel buses, produce no diesel exhaust emissions and are expected to have lower long-term maintenance costs.
“These school buses will emit no diesel exhaust particles into the air,” a representative from JEA said during Thursday’s event.
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Highland Electric Fleets said cleaner air could improve children’s health. Chris Orlando, the company’s director of communications, said replacing just five diesel school buses with electric buses could reduce pediatric asthma risk for about 1,500 students.
“They’ll cost less to own and maintain than their diesel counterparts,” Orlando said.
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District leaders said drivers have completed specialized training to safely operate the new buses before students return to class this fall
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