SOUTH WHIDBEY: New electric school bus unveiled

Luisa Loi reports from the South Whidbey School District for the South Whidbey Record.

The South Whidbey School District has received an electric school bus through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Program Rebate that the district applied to in 2022, urged by student climate and social justice activists.

On March 13, community members were invited to tour the bus and cruised around the schools.

They Said It

“This is a great opportunity to reduce the district’s carbon footprint and we are so fortunate to have applied for and received this grant,” wrote Superintendent Josephine Moccia in an email to The South Whidbey Record.

According to Moccia, the vehicle can hold up to 78 students and will serve students in all grades. It is designed to last 13 years.

Currently, Moccia said, it serves one route but the district is testing its charging capacity to be used on the other eight routes. The bus will be charged at a charging station that was installed at the bus barn.

In January 2024, the district was awarded another electric school bus through another EPA rebate. Moccia said it might arrive in Spring 2025 as buses tend to be slow to be delivered