Jasper City Schools in Alabama adds EV buses to its fleet

One would expect to find innovation and achievement inside the classrooms at Jasper City Schools, but some students are now experiencing them on the ride to school.

The City of Jasper, the Jasper Board of Education and Jasper City Schools worked with Alabama Power, Transportation South and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put two electric school buses into service.

The EV buses replace two diesel engine buses, cutting fuel and maintenance costs for the school system and improving the environmental impact.

“It’s just very exciting for us as a school district to have this opportunity. It’s certainly an opportunity we would not have had without Alabama Power’s participation and encouragement and walk with us,” said Jasper City Schools Superintendent Ann Jackson. “Having an EV bus is something that we had been interested in and was curious about, so we’re just very excited about the opportunity of having these buses and what it’s going to provide for our system.”

The buses have been running the past two months and are already helping the school system realize some operational savings.

“The range for our buses is about 150 miles, which will carry us well throughout a week,” said Jonathan Allen, assistant superintendent with Jasper City Schools. “Daily, this one bus will go about 25 miles. We can charge it weekly for about $20, so the fuel cost is about half what diesel buses would be.”

Although the buses are more expensive than their diesel engine counterparts, the operational costs are where school systems, like other EV owners, can realize the savings.

“With electric buses, you don’t have your traditional maintenance costs, such as oil changes, your engine maintenance – you really are just charging the bus and putting in windshield wiper fluid,” said Hasin Gandhakwala, Electric Transportation manager at Alabama Power. “It’s a huge change from what you’re used to with internal combustion engines. All of that leads to a huge amount of savings on the back end for the school systems. It’s a very valuable technology to consider and to adopt.”

Jasper received $690,000 through the Clean School Bus Rebate Program administered by the EPA. Transportation South, which operates the buses, assisted with the grant writing. Alabama Power assisted with grant writing and infrastructure planning and installation. Alabama Power also provided $10,000 through its Make Ready Program.

“Jasper being a leader in this space really speaks well to what they’re trying to accomplish in the schools and the growth of electric transportation in the state,” Gandhakwala said. “We’re really proud to be able to partner with Jasper as they utilize these electric buses. It’s a great technology that benefits the students first and foremost. We’re just happy to be a partner through our programs, our rates and incentives along their journey.”

Gandhakwala said the short routes most school buses run make them a perfect candidate to go electric.

“Because the school and the students are so close in proximity, most schools are not serving neighborhoods and communities that are hundreds of miles away,” he said. “So electric school buses end up being a perfect solution for the school districts.”

Katie Adams is a senior at Jasper High School and says she takes pride in seeing her school be a leader in EV bus adoption in the state.

“This is just really neat,” she said. “This is such a stepping stone for our community. The future is electric, we know that from AI and different technologies. It’s just kind of neat that it’s coming to Jasper, right here in our little small town.”

Allen said that’s the kind of innovation and leadership he wants the school system to be known for.

“Our district prides itself on being innovative and trying to integrate new technologies, and with the EV buses, it really sets us apart in our state,” he said. “There are very few districts that have these. I’m proud of our transportation department and their leadership in bringing this forward.”

Jackson said the school system is not only realizing cost savings, but have not experienced any diminished operations from the electric buses and the feedback from the drivers and the students have been positive.

She said she would encourage other school systems to consider EV adoption, but realize it can be a sizable initial investment and working with partners like the EPA and Alabama Power can make the difference.

“It’s quite an investment,” she said. “I think if there are opportunities where they can partner with someone and get these buses, I think it’s a great opportunity for them to try that. We could not do this without the partnership with Alabama Power.”

To learn more about Alabama Power programs and incentives for EVs, click this link.