Photograph courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools Transportation Department
Imagine a day when the growls and sooty exhaust fumes of traditional school buses have gone extinct on Atlanta’s streets. It may not be that far off.
In summer 2023, Atlanta Public Schools announced it was partnering with electric vehicle manufacturer The Lion Electric Company to begin transitioning its 400 school buses away from diesel-powered internal combustion engines. Ultimately, the school district plans to replace its entire fleet with zero-emission electric vehicles. They aren’t exactly inexpensive, but advocates say that, in the long run, electric buses will cost up to 80 percent less to operate than traditional diesel fleets.
Photograph courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools Transportation Department
Using a $9.9 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, APS ordered its first 25 LionC buses. The model, known for its modernized reliability, has a more sloped hood to give drivers better visibility, but otherwise looks mostly the same as a traditional school bus. Fueled by electric batteries instead of diesel engines, however, these buses release neither emissions nor noxious fumes and purr quietly, even when hefting 100 shouting children up a steep hill.
Twenty-three of Atlanta’s new electric school buses are already on the roads. They’ve been a hit, says Adam Johnson, APS senior executive director of transportation. “Our drivers are enjoying the quiet and comfortable ride while transporting their students each day,” he notes.
The Clean School Bus Program was part of the sweeping Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which former President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021. The law directs $5 billion over five years to help school districts across the country transition to electric school buses. Several other Georgia school districts, including DeKalb, Clayton, and Douglas counties, have also received federal funds to make the switch.
APS is using some of the federal money to install more than 50 ports to charge the new electric buses. ChargePoint, a California-based manufacturer, has already installed more than 329,000 ports across North America and Europe, but it considers the Atlanta school system a proving ground to show that transitioning to electric buses is economically and environmentally wise for schools.
How much money will a system the size of APS eventually save with the green transition? It’s tough to calculate an exact figure, says Rob Newton, ChargePoint’s senior director of product marketing. Savings vary depending on the age of a school district’s current diesel fleet, the number of required chargers, and which electric buses are used. But the financial benefit is evident: Beyond cutting back on diesel fuel and expensive maintenance costs, schools can essentially charge buses for free by plugging in at nonpeak rate times and selling excess power back to local utilities. Another perk: In emergencies, such as power outages, schools could use their electric buses as generators.
“Everyone across the country is trying to figure out how to fund schools a little bit better, and this is one way,” says Newton. “We’re really trying to educate people that what was just a green initiative maybe a decade ago has really turned a corner.”
This article appears in our April 2025 issue.
