Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District hosted an Electric School Bus Celebration on May 6th to commemorate the startup of their new electric school buses and charging infrastructure.
Since 2021, Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District has collaborated with Veregy on five projects, including this transition to electric school buses. Veregy worked closely with district leadership to help them apply and secure a $790,000 rebate through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate program. The EPA received an overwhelming response of nearly 2,000 applications totaling $4 billion for over 12,000 buses from all 50 states, territories, and tribal nations. Ultimately, $875 million was awarded to replace 2,366 buses at 372 school districts nationwide. In Ohio, $5.9 million was distributed, with Amanda-Clearcreek being one of only six districts selected.
The rebate program enabled Amanda-Clearcreek to purchase two new Saf-T-Liner® C2 Jouley® buses. After evaluating route distances, terrain, and vehicle specifications, Veregy installed two 62.5kW dual-port DC fast chargers from ChargePoint. These networked chargers enable bus charging between routes while providing remote monitoring capabilities. The zero-emission Jouley buses, delivered in March 2024, operate without greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution, and fossil fuels. They are also projected to save Amanda-Clearcreek over $47,000 annually in fuel and maintenance costs compared to diesel buses.
The Electric School Bus Celebration featured remarks from district leadership and Veregy. Attendees also had the opportunity to take a ride in the electric buses, explore the technology under the hood, and learn how the transition to electric buses will benefit the students, district, and local community.
Veregy team (Jon Saxton, Scott Wisner, Garry Montgomery, and Lisa Schultz) with district leadership in front of one of the electric buses.
Garry Montgomery, VP of the East Region, Veregy, shares how the electric buses will create new learning opportunities for local students.
A few of the benefits of this project include:
- Exposure and education for students, staff, and the community on new electric vehicle technology
- Significant financial benefits from diesel fuel savings and lower maintenance costs, including estimated annual savings of $47,416 ($23,708 per bus)
- Opportunities to reinvest savings in other initiatives to improve schools and maximize learning opportunities for students
- Healthier air quality and cleaner environments for students and the Amanda community by reducing diesel pollution
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonization through lower CO2 emissions compared to diesel buses
“We are excited to implement the electric school buses this fall. These buses will replace older buses in our fleet, while providing our students with a quiet and emission-free transportation experience. They’ll also continue saving the district money over the long-run – it’s a win-win, and we’re so grateful to our treasurer, Lana Fairchild, for completing the application for this program.”
– Timothy Edwards, Ed.D, Superintendent, Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools
This initiative supports the EPA’s goals of improving air quality around schools, advancing environmental justice, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and driving clean transportation innovation. Amanda-Clearcreek’s electric bus implementation exposes students and the community to cutting-edge technology while creating significant cost savings that can be reinvested in enhanced learning opportunities.