SAISD hopes to add electric buses to its fleet

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio ISD students may soon be riding in cleaner and quieter school buses.

The district has applied for a grant for electric school buses through the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Renew America’s Schools” Grant Program.

The grant would pay for about nine electric buses and charging stations.

District officials said an electric bus costs about $450,000 compared to $140,000 for a propane bus.

“Currently we have diesel, clean diesel and we have propane and we are hoping for electric. As we phase in electric and propane, we want to phase the diesel,” said Albert Ross, a driver trainer for SAISD.

The electric bus has safety features, including cameras around the vehicle.

“We’ve really been putting in a push behind going clean, and we hope the government sees that,” Ross said.

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