Park City School District introduces new pair of electric school bus
Sep 10, 2024, 1:07 PM | Updated: 1:11 pm
PARK CITY — The Park City School District plans to give students a pair of environmentally safe school buses next year.
One of the district’s bus drivers said there are several benefits to driving an electric bus compared to the traditional gas-powered vehicle.
“They are actually very, very nice. They’re like the limousines of the buses! They’re smooth driving. They’re quiet. You don’t have the exhaust. They’re awesome,” said Nachol Workman, a school bus driver.
Workman has driven an electric bus in another Utah school district for the last five years. She said there is a noticeable difference in how quiet they are.
The Park City School District is one of three Utah recipients of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. The two buses will be funded through the EPA’s grants.
Salt Lake City School District receives state’s first electric school buses
Mike Tanner, the school district’s COO, said these will be the first additions to the fleet. Therefore, there will be some extra steps to take before the buses hit the road.
“We have to rework our power distribution network to support the electric buses and have two charging stations for the buses. Additionally, we have to train our staff to work on electric buses,” Tanner said.
With air quality top of mind, these electric buses will eliminate diesel, making the air a little cleaner for everyone.
“We estimate it’ll be about an annual reduction of over 43 tons of emissions,” said Kim Shelley, the executive director of Utah of the Department of Environmental Quality.
Officials hope the two buses will fully operate by next school year.
