Bethlehem, PA – October 18, 2022 – Senator Lisa Boscola announced today that she has secured a $1 million state grant for the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) for the purchase of electric buses.
“Investment in the early stages of a school district’s process of transitioning from diesel to EV buses is a prudent use of state funds,” Senator Lisa Boscola stated. “This million dollar grant will not only allow Bethlehem Area School District to purchase EV buses, but it also allows them to invest in the needed infrastructure for a thoughtful and seamless transition to EV vehicles.”
“Thanks to Senator Boscola’s leadership, this grant will allow BASD to be a leader in putting electric vehicle buses on the road,” stated Dr. Joseph Roy, Superintendent of Bethlehem Area School District. “With over 100 buses traveling 6,000 miles a day in a relatively small geographic area, we see the future in an electric bus fleet with dramatic reductions in vehicle exhaust each day.”
As part of BASD’s EV bus initiative, the District will be partnering with PPL to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure will be in place for the first purchase and future purchase of EV school buses.
“In this continuously evolving energy landscape, we’re happy to partner with Bethlehem Area School District, as well as other customers in our service territory, in achieving their electrification and clean-energy goals,” said PPL Electric Utilities Vice President of Distribution Operations Sal Salet.
“Moving towards EV buses, which is good for the environment, seems like low hanging fruit,” Boscola added. “However, transitioning to EV buses cannot be done overnight. BASD is uniquely positioned to demonstrate that this can be done smartly. EV buses will provide a cleaner and healthier environment for the students who ride them. Removing carbon from the atmosphere is a win and collaborating with PPL and BASD to give them the tools so the risk isn’t on the homeowners made a lot of sense.”
Boscola also noted that electric vehicles provide cost savings as they generally require less maintenance and BASD can reduce its diesel purchases.
The grant will allow BASD to use $850,000 toward the purchase of the EV school buses and $150,000 towards the infrastructure required to run the buses.
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