The Cowichan Valley school district will receive one of 18 new electric buses the province is providing to school districts across the province before the end of the school year. Travel on electric school buses is smoother, quieter and healthier than traditional diesel buses.
Overall, electric school buses are also highly efficient, produce zero carbon-dioxide emissions and are much more cost-effective to operate over time.
A zero-emission electric school bus also saves about 17 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually compared to a diesel school bus.
The Ministry of Education’s Bus Acquisition program provided $13 million for 31 school districts to buy a total of 101 new buses, including the 18 electric buses.
The purchase price for each electric school bus is about $350,000, compared to the $150,000 average cost for an equivalent diesel school bus.