MACON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD), the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, is supplying 60 electric school buses to Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida. The delivery represents the largest electric school bus fleet purchase in Blue Bird’s history. Through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Electric School Bus Project, BCPS is replacing part of its diesel fleet with zero-emission vehicles.
Blue Bird will provide its most advanced Vision electric school buses to BCPS. Each vehicle can carry 72 students for up to 120 miles on a single charge. Depending on the charging infrastructure, the bus takes between three and eight hours to recharge fully.
BCPS maintains a bus fleet of more than 1,200 vehicles with various propulsion systems, including 515 Blue Bird buses. BCPS school buses travel more than 67,000 miles each school day, as they pick up and safely transport 54,000 students to and from schools.
“Broward County Public Schools is excited to be the first school district in South Florida to pilot the use of electric buses in lowering emissions from our bus fleet,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Earlean Smiley. “This project has been in development for several years, and we’re thankful to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Power & Light for providing the essential funding and infrastructure to make it possible.”
BCPS received a nearly $15 million grant from Florida’s Diesel Emissions Mitigation Program, which utilizes funds from the Volkswagen Settlement and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act for projects that mitigate diesel emissions from mobile sources. Florida Power & Light Company, the largest power utility in the state, is providing the supporting vehicle charging infrastructure.
“Zero-emission transportation means cleaner air to breathe,” said Matthew Stevenson, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “We have served Broward Schools for more than 30 years. We could not be more pleased to help the school district transition to electric buses and clean student transportation.”
Blue Bird Electric buses come standard with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability, enabling BCPS to coordinate with local utility companies to manage vehicle charging and return stored energy back to the grid as needed. V2G programs help balance demands on the grid, improve grid resiliency, and lower the overall cost of electric school bus fleets for school districts.
Blue Bird is the only U.S.-owned and operated school bus manufacturer in the United States. The company remains the proven clean transportation leader with nearly 1,000 electric-powered, zero-emission school buses in operation today. BCPS purchased its advanced electric vehicles through Blue Bird’s authorized and family-owned school bus dealer Florida Transportation Systems, Inc. in Tampa, Fla.
About Blue Bird Corporation
Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. Blue Bird buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – the majority of 25 million children twice a day – making us the most trusted brand in the industry. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 20,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses in operation today. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird's complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com.
About Broward County Public Schools
“Educating all students to reach their highest potential.”
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the sixth largest school district in the nation and the second largest in the state of Florida. BCPS is Florida’s first fully accredited school system since 1962, serving more than 254,000 students and approximately 110,000 adult learners in 240 schools, centers and technical colleges, and 90 charter schools. BCPS supports a diverse student population representing 170 different countries and speaking 147 languages. To connect with BCPS, visit browardschools.com, follow us on Twitter @browardschools, on Facebook at facebook.com/browardschools, on Instagram @browardschoolsofficial, on YouTube at youtube.com/browardschoolsvideos and download the free BCPS mobile app at browardschools.com/MobileApp.
