Why officials say electric school buses are the future [Video]

Maine school districts, including Winthrop Public Schools and the Yarmouth School Department, continue to have problems with electric school buses supplied through the Clean School Bus Program from Quebec-based Lion Electric Co.

The Lion Electric buses now in Maine have experienced issues from power-steering failures to malfunctions with the heating system, keeping them off the road in most cases. The company’s financial problems also raise questions about the ability of Lion Electric to follow through on its obligations to schools.

However, experts say the problems with Lion Electric buses are not representative of electric buses as a whole, which can be beneficial for schools, as the buses are cheaper to maintain and better for the health of students and bus drivers, as well as the environment as a whole.

WHAT IS THE CLEAN SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM? 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started the federal Clean School Bus Program in 2022 to provide $5 billion worth of electric buses to schools across the county. The same year, the Maine Legislature …