Clean in Aberdeen: School district rolls out four new electric buses
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Hop on the magic school bus! Because the Aberdeen School District is rolling clean in four new electric school buses.
The district received a $1.5 million grant to purchase the new fleet.
They are the first school in Monroe County to go electric and one of just a handful across the state to have their own charging station on campus.
While they may look the same outwardly, the Aberdeen School District is replacing the traditional combustion engine and transmission with an electric motor. Superintendent Dr. Andrea Pastchal-Smith said the bulldogs are striving for the future by creating a cleaner tomorrow.
“The number one focus is, of course, to improve student achievement and based on electric busses the benefits of reducing the air pollution for students. Once you reduce the air pollution of students it will have positive and significant gains on student achievement and will also have an increase in teacher experience levels, as well. Second, the cost. We will average approximately $6,000 each year utilizing the school buses,” said Pastchal-Smith.
Students from sixth graders to seniors were excited to be the first to take a ride on the new set of wheels.
“I think it’s cool because they are new busses and yeah,” said Sixth Grader Mia White.
“It’s a great feeling. It really shows how the district is moving forward and it shows how we are contributing to a cleaner and more efficient sustainable environment,” said Senior Nicholas Shaw.
The yellow fleet hardly makes a sound when cranked up and can travel 138 miles until needing to recharge.
“We’re so proud to have our charging stations. As stated earlier, there are so many districts out there with electric buses but unfortunately, they do not have the charging stations in place. So, we are one of the districts that actually have the charging stations in,” said Pastchal-Smith.
The buses will hit the road starting next week. The superintendent said it took a team to make this historic moment happen.
