Transportation

California is a progressive state with high sustainability aspirations. Our Board, Superintendent, and School Leadership have embraced and supported those goals. They approved the replacement of almost half of our 62-bus fleet with battery-electric buses and the construction of two phases of charging infrastructure! Check out our results and explore how electric buses can change a community.

What We're Doing

Student and Driver Impact

Air Quality: Electric school buses are not powered by a fossil fuel-burning engine, and have zero tailpipe emissions of any pollutant. Students and drivers no longer breathe in the fuel emissions of diesel-powered buses.

Health: Electric school buses reduce students’ exposure to harmful health impacts of pollutants found in diesel exhaust pollution – including increased risk for cancer, asthma and heart disease. 

Student Achievement: reducing students’ exposure to air pollution from diesel school buses can have positive and significant effects on student test scores – in some cases, on par with increased teacher experience levels. 

Equity: by prioritizing communities that bear the disproportionate burden of diesel exhaust and on-road air pollution, the transition to electric school buses can contribute to correcting historically racist policies. Proactively considering the ripple effects of new technologies can make the school transportation, manufacturing and energy industries more equitable. 

Experience and Comfort: Electric school buses are quieter than diesel buses providing quieter riding experiences for both students and drivers. Drivers are able to run their Air Conditioning while waiting for students during the summer months instead of sweating it out in the heat.

Climate: Electric School Buses are responsible for significantly lower levels of greenhouse gases than diesel-powered school buses.

Resource: Electric School Bus Initiative

"The bus is a lot quieter, and I suffer from asthma, so I do not have to smell all the exhaust from the other buses when we're waiting at the school sites - I noticed the kids really love the buses, and so do I. There are just so many good things about these buses."
-Carmen Pena-Duran, Electric Bus Operator Modesto City Schools

Why Electric School Buses?

Electric School Bus Initiative webinar with electric school bus drivers!

Our Electric Bus Operator, Carmen Pena-Duran starred in a webinar hosted by the WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative with other electric school bus drivers around the country!

Electric School Buses🚍

  • Modesto schools ordered 30 Blue Bird electric school buses in January 2022, the single largest order of Blue Bird electric school buses in the United States at the time.

  • Some electric school buses were fully operational at the start of school in August of 2023.

  • The first electric bus arrived in April 2023, the last in October 2023.

The $14 million fleet was funded through general funds, CARB HVIP, state grants with San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, & EPA Clean School Bus Funding

Transportation Infrastructure

  • The transition to cleaner technologies includes installing extensive charging infrastructure at the district Transportation Yard to support the electric bus fleet.

  • The project was approved by the board on 4/18/22. Construction began in June 2022, and the infrastructure was complete by April 2023.

  •  MCS installed solar carports to facilitate charging and reduce

    strain on the city’s power system- (2) Level 3 DC Fast Chargers and (30) Level 2 AC Chargers

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction

  • The Electric School Bus project, battery-powered landscaping equipment, and solar projects aim to reduce district emissions and act as a catalyst for further sustainability and conservation actions. (Emission Reduction & Air Monitoring dashboards coming soon !!!)

Diesel Fuel Savings

  • With 30 Electric School Buses covering home-to-school routes, Modesto City Schools saved 37,749 gallons of diesel fuel (-39%), translating into $154,257 of cost savings (-41%). (Fuel bills from August through May of 2022-2023 compared to 2023-2024)

"The completion of our fleet of electric buses is just one of many steps we are taking toward environmental sustainability at Modesto City Schools. This project speaks to the impact that any district can choose to have – by committing to environmental sustainability and prioritizing dollars and effort toward that goal."
-Dr. Sara Noguchi, Superintendent of Modesto City Schools

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electric buses trio at mcs

Youtuber, TeslaRaj, visited the Modesto City Schools Transportation Yard to get a firsthand look at the district's electric fleet. Check out the video and learn more about electric vehicles!

Our Partners 🙌

Electric School Bus Resources

Sustainability Focus Areas

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Teacher Resources