May 13, 2024

SALINAS — The Salinas City Elementary School District has added ten new electric school buses and ten new electric bus chargers to the District’s school bus fleet. The new buses will primarily serve students with special needs, improving the students and drivers’ experience by providing clean and quiet transportation. 

SCESD serves the second largest number of students in grades preschool to 6 in Monterey County and includes fifteen schools, including the Salinas City Virtual Academy. The District strives to inspire and ensure students recognize their talents to excel, become empowered learners, and make valuable
contributions to a dynamic global community.

With the necessary infrastructure now in place, SCESD’s ten electric buses can obtain a full charge in 4.5 hours, providing an approximate range of 107 miles. The ten EV buses will take over two routes that run an average of 14,400 miles each per school year, and eight routes that run an average of 8,100 miles each per school year.

This will help the District save more than 100 metric tons of carbon dioxide and 17,143 gallons of diesel fuel per year. 100 metric tons of CO2 is approximately equivalent to 24 gas-powered passenger cars driven for one year.

The move to school bus electrification also supports SCESD’s efforts to help prevent student absenteeism, which significantly impacts students’ learning and social development. The National Institute of Health reports that pediatric asthma is the leading cause of student absenteeism and is associated with greater than ten million missed school days annually. However, children who ride electric school buses have an 8-percent lower risk of pediatric asthma hospitalization, according to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The District will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the new buses on at 9:30am on Wednesday, May 15, at the District’s Maintenance Yard, 39 Clark St., Salinas. District drivers will be on hand to offer rides on two of the new buses.

For more information, please contact Mary Duan, Director of Communications and Community Engagement, at mary.duan@salinascity.k12.ca.us