Chicopee receives grant to transition school buses to electric

CHICOPEE — After applying on behalf of Chicopee, Student Transportation Providers of America received a $2.39 million grant to change some of the city’s school buses over to electric.

The money is a part of $11.7 million in funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for six school districts and private transportation providers as part of the fourth round of the School Bus Deployment program.

According to the state announcement, the initiative supports communities by putting dependable, modern electric school buses on the road, “making transportation more reliable for students and more affordable for school districts.”

Nathan Lecrenski, vice president of Massachusetts operations for Five Star Bus/Tewksbury Transit, said that the money will change some of the school bus fleet over to electric, but not all of it. The number of buses affected was not specified.

“Electrification has a large capital start-up cost that is not able to be realized without grant support,” Lecrenski stated. “This grant was originally applied for in conjunction with a federal grant from the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] Clean School Bus program. That round of the program was cancelled, but we are glad that the state kept their program in place, allowing us to continue pursuing our goal of providing clean buses to the Chicopee fleet.”

Lecrenski said electric school buses yield no tailpipe emissions, which means the community and environment are being protected.

“The dirty, smelly exhaust from traditionally-fueled vehicles is not present on these buses,” Lecrenski explained, “Our students, drivers and local community will not have exposure to these harmful chemicals. Electric buses are also much quieter, providing a more comfortable experience for both the riders and community, and this quieter ride also helps to improve student behavior on the bus, as well as help our drivers to better monitor the activities inside the bus.”

He said that Student Transportation Providers of America also found that its drivers love the additional training they gain when electric buses come to its terminals because it helps improve employee satisfaction and retention.

Additionally, Lecrenski said, “These buses can be great educational tools for the students, as they learn how the buses will bring both air quality improvements and reductions to greenhouse gas emissions. The students and their families will see that the district and STA are making strides to improve the health, safety and the overall school bus experience for Chicopee Public Schools.”

Currently, the Student Transportation Providers of America is finalizing the grant agreement. It will then order the buses and develop the infrastructure construction timeline.

Lecrenski concluded, “We are looking forward to expanding our electric bus fleet by bringing these buses to Chicopee and are appreciative of the partnership from the district and the community. We hope that we can continue to expand our clean fleet deployment to Chicopee.”

The MassCEC School Bus Deployment program provides both financial support and hands-on technical planning assistance to ensure a smooth transition for school districts. The program also focuses on supporting high-need and environmental justice communities.

“We’re helping school districts upgrade their buses and give our kids the best,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “By electrifying school buses, we’re reducing pollution and making transportation more affordable for schools.”