The Agency of Natural Resources electric bus pilot program has moved into its next phase. The participating school districts and transit agency have selected their buses, which are due to arrive in Vermont at the end of this year. In December 2019, Barre Unified Union School District in partnership with their bus contractor, Student Transportation of America (STA); Champlain Valley School District; Franklin West Supervisory Union; and Marble Valley Regional Transit District (MVRTD), were chosen from a competitive pool of applicants to receive Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust funds to test the use of electric buses in Vermont.

Each electric bus vendor was selected through a competitive process in the fall of 2020. The school districts and STA reviewed the electric school bus proposals, and MVRTD and the Vermont Agency of Transportation reviewed the transit bus proposals prior to making their vendor selections. VEIC developed vehicle specifications and provided support throughout the vendor selection process.

Two of the school participants – STA with Barre Unified Union School District and Champlain Valley School District – selected The Lion Electric Company. Franklin West Supervisory Union selected Blue Bird buses. Marble Valley Regional Transit District selected GILLIG. Each will receive two electric buses.

"This is an exciting milestone for this program," said Peter Walke, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. "With more electric buses on Vermont roads we will have an opportunity to offer cleaner modes of transportation to students and public transit riders, while exploring our options for future investments in the health of our communities."

“We were very pleased to see strong proposals from a majority of the manufacturers building electric school and transit bus models,” said Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, Director of Clean Transportation at VEIC. “Each of the selected vendors have a positive reputation and presented compelling proposals. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to test several bus models from different vendors, providing an excellent sample for us to assess the feasibility for a larger bus roll out in the future.”

VEIC as the program administrator will provide technical assistance to the schools and transit agency to prepare for the arrival of the buses and to measure their performance once they arrive and are in operation.

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The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is charged with oversight and management of Vermont's natural environment on behalf of the people of Vermont. We endeavor to draw from and build upon Vermonters' shared ethic of responsibility for our natural environment, an ethic that encompasses a sense of place, community and quality of life, and an understanding that we are an integral part of the environment, and that we must all be responsible stewards for this and future generations. anr.vermont.gov.  

VEIC is a sustainable energy company on a mission to generate the energy solutions the world needs. For over 30 years VEIC has been working with governments, utilities, foundations and businesses across North America to develop and deploy clean energy services that provide immediate and lasting change. With expertise in energy efficiency, building decarbonization, transportation electrification, and new approaches for a clean and flexible grid, VEIC brings innovative solutions to the market. VEIC is nationally recognized for developing pilots and programs that optimize energy use, reduce energy burdens for low-income customers, and advance new technologies. In addition to our full-service consulting business, VEIC administers three large-scale sustainable energy programs: Efficiency Vermont, Efficiency Smart, and the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU). veic.org.