SPECIAL REPORT
improved to around 98 miles. However, the ESB grants the district applied for required interior heaters to be fully electric, he noted. This has resulted in losing about 18 percent of the range during the winter months. Martinez recounted a humorous anecdote he often shares with others.
Via onboard video, he heard some students one day commenting about how the electric bus they were riding on is “like a Tesla.” He said that per- ception elevates the allure of riding on an electric school bus. “It’s really helped, especially with the special needs to really help calm
them,” he said on ESBs in general, adding that some parents are requesting the electric vehicles. Meanwhile, Brandon Coonrod, the interim director of student transpor-
tation for Portland Public Schools in Oregon, said another benefit of electric school buses that he has noticed is that they don’t have to be running when operating the wheelchair lifts. Portland’s in-house fleet consists of about 103 Type A buses from various OEMs. A little over 50 percent is propane-powered, with about 40 percent fueled by gasoline. However, he noted the district did purchase three electric buses from GreenPower with another four on the way from Thomas Built Buses. He said all the electric buses are purchased with wheelchairs lifts, but he was
concerned at first that the extra power to operate the lifts was going to impact the battery. He soon realized a secondary battery powers the wheelchair lift. The main vehicle battery pack charges the lift battery, so operation doesn’t
Does your school district operate CNG, electric or propane school buses?
67% Neither 19% Propane 9% Electric 3% CNG
2% All three
(Out of 146 responses to a recent STN reader survey.)
Room to
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800-543-8222 20 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2024
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