Providence Adds 4 Electric School Buses To Its Fleet

PROVIDENCE, RI — Hundreds of students in the Providence Public Schools are about to start riding new electric school buses, with the district adding four to its fleet Monday.

First Student replaced four of its diesel buses with electric vehicles to "better serve the district, its families, and the community," according to a news release. The electric buses are a first for the district and the company’s first electric vehicles in Rhode Island.

Funding from the American Rescue Plan covered the cost of Providence Public Schools' electric buses. A part of the federal COVID-19 recovery program helps school districts replace existing diesel buses with zero-emission school buses. A grant from Rhode Island Energy also helped fund the bus chargers and charging infrastructure.

According to First Student, replacing just one diesel bus can reduce greenhouse emissions by 54,000 pounds each year. That is the equivalent of 3.75 pounds of carbon dioxide for every mile driven.

The company said it has committed to transition 30,000 of its diesel buses to electric by 2035.

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