thinking about what school buses you will need to re- place in a couple of years? BNEF also predicts that the adoption rate for electric buses will be even faster than cars. EVs are already cheaper on repairs. Experience from school districts with electric buses shows that mainte- nance costs are can be as much as 80-percent lower on EV buses. And fuel costs are similarly lower.
Significant Subsidies for Electric Buses Vary by State As part of its settlement for cheating on emission tests
for its diesel cars, Volkswagen set up an Environmental Mitigation Trust to provide U.S. states with $2.9 billion for projects to cut nitrogen oxide from large vehicles, including school buses. States have the freedom to determine how to allocate these funds. For example, one transportation director, Tim Shannon in northern California, stated that he was able to buy four electric school buses for the same price as two diesel buses because of the program. And accord- ing to his calculations, the payback for electric buses (unsubsidized) is only eight years. In fact, BNEF predicts that the rate of adoption of
electric buses is going to be even faster than the rate of adoption of electric cars:
It may be in a school district’s best interest to purchase
at least one electric bus, which would allow it to better prepare for this rapid technology shift.
Addressing Driver Shortages Drivers are in short supply. And it’s not just school
districts that have this challenge. It’s also the long- and short-haul trucking industry: It’s a hot economy that’s pulling away the work force
from driving jobs. School districts also have to compete with trucking companies that can pay higher wages. We are on the cusp of a revolution in autonomous ve-
hicles. Tesla has announced that the Tesla semi will have autonomous features. Then, as fully autonomous long- haul trucks become available within the next decade, it will relieve the long-haul driver shortage. This will in turn have a cascading impact that could presumably alleviate the school bus driver shortage. However, school buses will be the last category of transportation to be automated. And even when that happens, we will still need an adult on the bus to ensure the safety of children. Think for a second how the tradi- tional job description of a school bus driver will change, and how the job might evolve with a focus more on the education of students, as well as providing safety. ●
ALTERNATIVE
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION IS STILL
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION
ALC Schools proprietary technology includes our Driver App and My Ride Manager (MRM) which combine to create a detailed student transportation profile of past, current and future trips.
While both of these platforms support our district partners, it is our 24/7 dispatch centers, routing, and field operations teams that make the magic happen.
• Our Driver App is a full-fledged student transportation tracking solution, not an off-the-shelf vehicle tracking device.
• MRM provides districts with the same real-time trip status as ALC’s dispatch team.
866-999-3371 |
www.ALCSchools.com
www.stnonline.com 35
Johnny Smith
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