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Education Jan 03, 2022
El Monte Union High School District receives the last of 11 Bluebird electric buses as part of the district’s participation in the Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project funded through the California Air Resources Board (CARB). | Courtesy photo
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El Monte Union High School District has received nine additional electric buses as a part of the district’s participation in the Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project, completing its fleet of 11 electric buses provided through a $9.8 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
The district celebrated the arrival of the first buses in August with a green ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new fleet of electric buses will allow the district to serve more students using state-of-the-art zero-emission vehicles equipped with the most current safety features. The district’s participation in the Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project is part of its overall commitment to finding sustainable emission-free transportation that will enhance the quality of life for students and staff who commute.
The new buses are estimated to save the district up to 80% in fuel costs and up to 50% in maintenance costs over traditional diesel-powered vehicles.
“El Monte Union is proud to be leading the way in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality for District communities by replacing diesel and gasoline vehicles with clean zero-emission vehicles,” District Facility and Energy Manager Lena Luna said. “We are excited to continue working with CARB and our other partners on this project.”
Additional components of the project include a pilot career technical education curriculum to engage students in clean energy career pathways, School Mobility & Active Transportation Plans developed to identify mobility needs and possible solutions at each school, three electric motor pool vehicles and five energy storage systems that tie into the district’s existing solar power system.
The district has already received 11 all-electric 2021 Gem Polaris utility maintenance carts, and construction to help support existing bus charging infrastructure is underway.
“El Monte Union is thrilled to be a grantee participant of the Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Program. This program has been instrumental in allowing the District to deliver electric buses and green-tech infrastructure for the benefit of the cities EMUHSD serves, including El Monte, South El Monte and Rosemead,” Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga said. “We are thankful to CARB and all of our partners for helping us transform mobility at our school sites.”
For more information regarding the Clean Mobility in Schools Pilot Project and the Active Transportation Plan, please visit https://emuhsdmobility.com.
