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Blue Bird Delivers 20 Electric School Buses to Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida

December 31, 2023

Blue Bird Corporation is delivering 20 electric school buses to Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) in Florida. These buses are the first zero-emission vehicles in the district’s all-Blue Bird fleet of school buses.

M-DCPS, the third-largest school district in the nation, serves more than 335,000 students and 50,000 adult learners. This delivery marks a significant step in the district’s transition to clean student transportation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Vision electric school buses can carry 72 students for up to 120 miles on a single charge. M-DCPS plans to collaborate with Florida Power & Light, a major power utility in the state, to install 50 DC fast charging stations. Ten of these stations at the school district’s Southwest Transportation Facility are expected to be operational by September 2023. With the planned charging infrastructure, the buses will take approximately six hours to recharge fully.

The school district maintains a nearly 1,000-vehicle fleet of Blue Bird buses. These buses travel more than 13,000 miles each school day, transporting 40,000 students to and from schools.

M-DCPS received an $11.6 million grant from Florida’s Volkswagen Mitigation Settlement Trust fund to acquire these advanced electric, zero-emission school buses from Blue Bird.

Blue Bird, the only U.S.-owned and operated school bus manufacturer, has nearly 1,000 electric-powered, zero-emission school buses in operation today. M-DCPS purchased its advanced electric vehicles through Blue Bird’s authorized dealer, Florida Transportation Systems, Inc. in Tampa, Fla.

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is excited to put its first 20 electric, zero-emission school buses into service signaling that we put our student and community health first,” said M-DCPS Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres. “We are looking forward to a successful pilot program and to building on our decades-long relationship with Blue Bird, the district’s student transportation provider of choice.”

“This pilot program is a wonderful first step in the electrification of Miami-Dade’s fleet and improving the air quality for its students and the community at-large,” said Britton Smith, president of Blue Bird Corporation. “We greatly appreciate the trust Miami-Dade County Public Schools has placed in Blue Bird and are looking forward to growing our relationship for many years to come.”