MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Brand-new, environmentally friendly school buses were introduced in Miami-Dade County on Monday morning.
As part of its ongoing commitment to protecting children and improving air quality, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Miami-Dade Public Schools as one of five applicants to receive nearly $33,175,000 through the EPA’s first Clean School Bus Program’s Grants Competition.
This initiative saw a nearly $20 million investment to procure 50 new electric school buses.
At Coral Reef High School in southwest Miami-Dade, a select group comprising of students, staff, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and EPA Administrator Michael Regan embarked on a test ride aboard the buses on Monday.
The response from those who will be operating these buses was overwhelmingly positive, with local leaders hailing this funding for the new “green fleet” as beneficial to the environment.
“With this gift, it’s 100 electric buses in the fleet,” Levine Cava said.
The funding, which was made available through President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda, is designated to aid selected school districts in acquiring clean school buses and establishing the necessary charging infrastructure.
“The traditional diesel buses that transport our students rely on internal combustion engines that emit toxic pollutants into the air,” Regan said. “These pollutants are harmful to the environment and the health of the surrounding communities.”
Miami-Dade school bus operator Sandra Martinez shared her excitement for her new work vehicle with Local 10 News.
”It’s a clean ride; it’s smooth; it’s quiet,” she said.
Officials say the hope is that by the end of this year or into the next school year, all 1,000 buses in the fleet will be electric.