In an effort to address climate change by reducing carbon emissions, Boston will replace its entire fleet of school buses with electric vehicles by 2030, starting with 20 buses next school year, Mayor Michelle Wu informed on Wednesday.
Officials said that the estimated $7 million for purchasing the first 20 electric buses will be paid from the school department’s operating budget funds and the federal coronavirus stimulus funds.
This is the latest step in the Green New Deal that the city has previously announced to convert much of its fleet of 1,200 vehicles to zero-emissions vehicles.
As part of the efforts, Wu also announced that Boston’s Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, where she held her press conference, would start teaching students electric vehicle maintenance as part of its automotive technology program.
Stressing that transportation represents the highest source of emissions statewide and the second-highest source of emissions across the city, Wu noted that electric vehicles will help reduce emissions across Boston.
City officials said that not only they’ll provide a healthier work environment for bus drivers and monitors, but electric school buses will also reduce noise pollution around schools and eliminate tailpipe emissions from diesel-fueled vehicles.
Exposure to diesel exhaust, as the US Environmental Protection Agency warns, can lead to serious health conditions, especially in children and the elderly, and can worsen existing heart and lung diseases.
The Conservation Law Foundation’s VP of environmental justice, Staci Rubin, praised the announced move ad absolutely right, pointing out that children deserve to be in tailpipe emissions-free vehicles and that it’ll dramatically improve air quality while saving money for the city since electric buses are also less expensive to maintain and operate.
She urged the city authorities to put the initial 20 electric buses on routes that serve students of color and low-income residents, who are the most susceptible to health issues resulting from poor air quality.
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