School District #20 is getting a brand new $350,000 electric school bus.
Paid for by the Ministry of Education’s $13 million Bus Acquisition Program that is proving a total of 101 new busses across the province, the eco-friendly model is one of 18 electric buses going to 13 select districts.
 “People across our communities are concerned about climate change, but sometimes the changes we need to make can seem daunting,” said Kootenay West MLA Katrine Conroy. “With this new emissions-free bus, we’re investing in a future for families and their children where riding to school is also good for the environment.”
Conroy added that as a new initiative launched in April last year by the Ministry of Education, this is the first time school districts in B.C. have been able to purchase electric buses through Ministry funding. Also, school districts that buy electric buses have access to provincial funding for necessary charging station infrastructure.
Whereas the price of each equivalent diesel school bus is approximately $150,000, electric buses are more cost-efficient long-term according to the B.C. government. To lower the initial capital cost, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation allocated supplemental funding of up to $125,000 towards each of the more expensive electric buses, only making them $75,000 more expensive.
Benefits to the greener buses include fewer moving mechanical parts, meaning less required repair and maintenance. They are highly efficient and produce zero carbon dioxide emissions saving approximately 17 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually compared to a diesel school bus.