CVUSD Receives New Electric School Buses as Part of District Electrification Plan to Reduce Emissions and Energy Costs
Castro Valley, CA – (November 7, 2024) – – Castro Valley Unified School District leaders announced the District is receiving two new zero-emission (ZEV) school buses, funded through a $1.1 million grant awarded by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s School Bus Replacement and Infrastructure Program. The buses are the first two zero-emission electric buses within the District’s 12-bus fleet. They are part of a larger District strategy to electrify the bus and fleet to reduce carbon emissions, protect student and staff health, and further lower its carbon footprint.
The project will lay the groundwork to fully electrify the fleet in the next 10 years, according to District facility staff. This goal fits in a broader vision of ensuring that the District reduces energy costs and improves energy efficiency. The District has launched several energy conservation initiatives, including conducting an energy audit, upgrading to LED lighting, installing solar shade structures, improving indoor air quality, and reducing water use across district facilities.
“The purchase of the new zero-emission buses is an exciting step forward in environmental sustainability and reducing overall fuel costs,” said Parvin Ahmadi, Castro Valley Unified School District Superintendent. “As a District, we are fully committed to reducing our carbon footprint and improving students’ health and well-being at the same time.”
Castro Valley Unified purchased the two 56-passenger Blue Bird electric school buses through authorized school bus dealer A-Z Bus Sales in Sacramento. The new buses replaced two aging diesel buses in the fleet. Facility staff plan to launch the new buses on west side routes with fewer hills, as they gain familiarity with the buses’ range and power.
The awarded BAAQMD grant also provided funds to install two Level 2 fast charging stations at Canyon Middle School. The District is currently working with PG&E and a qualified electrical contractor to update the bus yard’s power infrastructure to eventually have the capacity to charge up to 20 zero-emission buses and white fleet vehicles. Phase One of the charging infrastructure project at Canyon—installing the two charging stations—is expected to be completed in late spring 2025.
According to the World Resources Institute, over 21 million children ride school buses daily in the U.S. and a vast majority (90%) run on diesel fuel. Diesel engine exhaust is a known carcinogen, with links to serious impacts on brain development and physical health. As of June 2024, more than 12,000 electric school buses have replaced older diesel buses across the U.S., a majority funded through the U.S. EPA Clean School Bus Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021. The Clean School Bus Program has funded over $1 billion to electrify school bus fleets nationwide.
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