quality and reduce greenhouse gases,” he said. “All 45 buses are deployed on routes serving Title I schools. One of the district’s primary goals was to ensure historically underserved communities and students significantly benefited from this technology.” Anecdotal evidence reflects improved student ride ex-
periences due to quiet, emission-free buses, Beaver said. “Student behavior has shown improvement on ESB buses. Drivers assigned to those routes, while initially skeptical, uniformly have come to enjoy the driving ex- perience and become advocates of the effort,” he added. Meanwhile, the Salt
Lake City School District in Utah transports nearly 6,000 of its 19,000 stu- dents on 133 daily bus routes throughout 110 square miles. Salt Lake operates 100 school buses in all: 85 diesel, 12 ESB, and three gasoline. The district, a STN 2022
“We are having a positive impact on the city’s air quali-
ty as well,” he added. Some parents, especially those with special needs stu-
dents, request ESBs, Martinez said. “The removal of the diesel smells, vibrations and
overall noise helps students keep calm and less irritated, which helps them in the classroom as well,” he added. Drivers enjoy not having the smell of diesel exhaust
The removal of diesel smells, vibrations and overall noise helps
Green Bus Summit Fleet Award winner in the small public fleet category, began researching ESBs in fall 2017 during a meeting with its local Department of Environmental Quality. “Between their interest in getting electric buses in the parts of Salt Lake City with horrible air condi- tions and a student-led initiative, it was decided to begin the transition,” noted Ken Martinez, the district’s director of trans- portation. “Our first four electric school buses began to transport
students in April 2021. The startup date being delayed from the pandemic,” he added. Eight more ESBs were added to the fleet. The ESBs are
on routes on the west side of the city where the most CO2 is found. “The reduction for our buses would be 100 percent since they are 100 percent electric, including their heating,” Martinez said. “The NOx is from power plants creating power to charge them.” Martinez noted an exhaust fume reduction in the yard, especially in the morning when buses are warming up.
students keep calm and less irritated, which helps them in the classroom as well … the bus is much calmer overall since there is no engine noise to overcome.
coming in their bus through the doors and windows, Martinez said, adding “the bus is much calmer overall since there is no engine noise to overcome.” San Marcos Unified School District in Cali- fornia transports 2,300 of its 19,200 students throughout 55 square miles. The transportation department provides daily home-to-school services for three neigh- boring districts and supports 5,000 activity trips annually. Its fleet of 94 vehicles
includes 33 ESBs, 51 diesel, two gasoline sup- port vehicles, and eight passenger vans. The district is expect- ing grant funding for 26 additional ESBs during the first quarter of 2026 to replace some diesel school buses. “We have had 13
-Ken Martinez, Salt Lake City School District in Utah
compressed natural gas (CNG) buses since 1998, which will be replaced by EV buses in Q1 of 2026,”
noted Mike Sawyer, the transportation department’s executive director. The district noted a 100-percent pollution reduction
with the ESBs, Sawyer added. “The community has provided positive feedback.
Students and drivers enjoy the reduction of sound which fosters a calming environment,” he said. “As long as there continues to be grant funding provided, we will keep purchasing them.” Diana Mikelski, transportation director for Township
High School District 211 in Cook County, Illinois, calls herself a “huge propane proponent,” noting a lack of awareness about propane’s benefits.
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