their transition to EV. “It is why we have a direct sales approach and offer a turnkey


Associate Editor Taylor Hannon test drives an IC Bus Electric CE Series at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, California.


solution, with LionEnergy supporting all aspects of infrastruc- ture needs from site design to hardware to installation, Lion CapitalSolutions covering finance options, LionBeat telematics and training and service,” he said. “Ride and drives are one of the most important ways for us to get people into our vehicles and experience the advantages of electric. Many still have not had the chance to experience an electric school bus, and getting them in the vehicle and behind the wheel proves the technology is here—in other words, to a large extent the product speaks for itself, and it’s best to let people experience it whenever possible.” Meanwhile, Albert Burleigh, the executive director of electric


vehicle sales for Blue Bird, noted that early on the company learned that the best way to get potential customers com- fortable with new technologies is by having them experience alternative-powered school buses firsthand. “The wonderful thing about ride and drives, we have learned, is that seeing is believing. It’s one thing to listen to a presentation or read about product features in a brochure or online, but prospec- tive customers prefer to see and touch and operate our zero or low-emission school buses before making a purchasing deci- sion,” he said. “These events provide that opportunity and have


Continued on pg. 32 ➥


30 School Transportation News • JULY 2022


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