'Historic': Rapides school officials unveil four of 25 electric buses at Buckeye High
BUCKEYE — The only sound coming from one of the four buses idling in the Buckeye High School charging lot was the hum of an air conditioner.
Four of the 25 electric buses purchased by the Rapides Parish School Board through an almost $10 million grant were unveiled Thursday afternoon. Each was backed up to charging stations installed at the high school on what Superintendent Jeff Powell called a "historic day" for the district.
"One of the most important things that I think the public needs to know, particularly those whose students will be transported on these buses, is these are some of the most innovative, state-of-the-art vehicles that are on the road today, as far as their safety features, as far as the efficiency with which they are able to move," said Powell, standing in front of the buses.
He stressed that no local money was used on the buses, saying it saved more than $3 million for taxpayers and took 25 of its oldest buses without air conditioning off the roads.
The district's transportation director, Alan Fontenot, said the electric school buses is a first for Central Louisiana. These buses won't need oil changes or air filters. They have a regenerative braking system, "which adds life to the brakes, but also at the same time, charges the buses," he said.
Fontenot said charging the buses is "considerably" cheaper than buying diesel, saying it would cost about $10 to fully charge one.
And forget hearing the familiar rumble of diesel-powered buses. The electric buses are so quiet that, when it's put into gear, a noise generator under the hood activates so people can hear it approaching stops. It emits a sound like a fan.
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The vehicle's air-conditioning system also emits a low hum.
Inside, the bus' ceiling has some added height. The seats are high backed, and there are security cameras, speakers and lights from front to back.
The buses and the charging stations were bought through a $9,875,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Thirteen of the buses will transport students in the Buckeye High feeder system, while the other 12 will serve the Peabody Magnet High School feeder system.
The March 2023 vote by the Rapides Parish School Board to accept that grant wasn't unanimous, though. It passed on a 6-3 vote, with board President Dr. Stephen Chapman and members Wilton Barrios and Sandra Franklin voting against it.
On Thursday, board member Mark Dryden sat behind and to the right of driver Will Cumming, the district's bus maintenance supervisor, as he and others took a short ride on one of the new buses. The two men spoke about the buses during the drive.
Dryden said he already had talked to local fire departments about the buses. Some board members did express concerns about fires as the grant was being debated during a February 2023 committee meeting.
But Dryden said, in case of a fire, the highest priority is getting kids off the bus and securing the area. Other than that, he said he didn't care if firefighters had to let the bus burn.
"Just make sure everybody's safe," he said, adding that he hoped fire departments in the parish could work together on training.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Air-conditioned electric buses arrive for Buckeye, Peabody schools
