CINCINNATI – First Student, the largest provider of school transportation in North America and the proven leader of electrified student transportation, will mark Earth Day by celebrating its milestones, commitments and results in delivering a cleaner future for students, families and communities. Earth Day 2024 coincides with significant new achievements for First Student’s electric school bus program. The company recently announced it has officially surpassed 3 million miles driven on electric school buses and has plans to deploy more than a dozen new electric school buses in Montana and Pennsylvania. First Student also reaffirmed its commitment to The Canopy Project after success in 2023.
The latest milestones represent major achievements for the company’s rapidly growing electric school bus fleet and point to increased adoption of zero emission student transportation across North America. In addition to the 3 million electric miles driven milestone, First Student will be deploying eight electric buses in Montana and six in Pennsylvania the week of April 22. The company also renewed its participation in The Canopy Project, planting trees on behalf of its customers to further combat climate change.
“Earth Day is a yearly reminder of what we are working toward: a better future for our kids and a more sustainable world for them to inherit,” First Student CEO John Kenning said. “We are proud that First Student is not only chasing big sustainability and electrification goals but also achieving them, too. Our more than 300 zero-emission buses and 3 million electric school bus miles are just the beginning. Helping students reach their full potential means delivering safe transportation but also protecting our planet on Earth Day and all through the year.”
First Student is actively working to transition 30,000 diesel school buses to electric by 2035. Replacing just one diesel school bus with an electric school bus can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54,000 pounds each year.
First Student has already deployed more than 330 electric buses to school districts across North America. With an additional 1,108 electric buses approved to be ordered, First Student’s fleet is expected to grow to over 1,400 total vehicles by the end of 2024. These new electric buses will reduce carbon emissions by 75,600,000 tons.
More information on First Student’s electrification efforts, including its consulting services, can be found here.
Watch a video that showcases First Student’s electric school bus fleet.
About First Student
As a leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. With a team of highly trained drivers and the industry’s strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services, including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, fleet electrification, route optimization, and scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of more than 46,000 buses.
