Arlington's First Electric School Buses Begin Carrying Students

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington Public Schools' first two electric buses began transporting students in early January after students returned to school from winter break.

The two electric buses arrived in Arlington in November, giving drivers and mechanics nearly two months of training on how to operate and maintain the buses. The first two electric buses — Thomas Built battery-electric school buses — are being used to transport APS’s special needs population and can carry up to 38 students.

The purchase of the two electric buses, plus a third one scheduled to arrive by the end of January, were made possible by a $795,000 Clean School Bus Program grant from Virginia. Nineteen Virginia districts received similar funding in 2021.

Each new electric school bus will replace an Arlington school bus with a diesel engine and is expected to log about 8,000 miles annually, Arlington Public Schools said.

Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services Equipment Bureau, located at the Trades Center in Shirlington, services Arlington Public Schools’ fleet of vehicles, including its 190 school buses, and the county government’s entire fleet.

The county said officials will study the driving and service experiences of these new buses to decide whether to add new electric school buses to the county's fleet.

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