The California Energy Commission has announced the qualifying buses that passed their Technical Evaluation phase and can be ordered through the Clean Transportation Program’s Grant, GFO-18-604. School Districts in California are eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding towards Blue Bird’s Type A Electric Micro Bird, Type C Electric Vision and Type D Electric Rear Engine school buses.
Blue Bird’s Electric buses in every model, some equipped with wheel chair lifts, are eligible for the grant funding through this program. The Micro Bird Type A Electric bus is equipped with a wheel chair lift, and is qualified for over $291,000 in grant funding, while the Type C Vision and Type D Rear Engine school buses with and without wheelchair lifts qualify for over $319,000 in grant funding for each bus. Blue Bird is the only manufacturer selected which has produced and delivered Type A, C and D electric school buses to school districts that are certified and currently operating in the state of California.
“We are proud to have passed the Technical Evaluation for this bid, allowing districts to afford these amazing cutting-edge buses,” says Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Blue Bird pioneered electric school bus technology as early as 1994, and with our proven, long-term partnership with Cummins, we know that customers can depend on our new generation of electric buses.”
Blue Bird has been producing school buses since 1927, and has been working with Electric technology in school buses since 1994. The Cummins Electrified Power Division has over 12 years of hybrid and electric drivetrain and vehicle integration, much of which has been focused on the mass transit industry. The partnership between Blue Bird and the Cummins electrification group delivers over 30 years of experience in this growing segment.
The Blue Bird Electric school buses currently operating in California have an established, reliable network of service centers that specialize in electric bus technology. “This is exciting for districts who are now able to afford to bring Blue Bird’s electric buses into their existing fleets,” said John Landherr, president of A-Z Bus Sales. “With over twelve A-Z Bus service and Cummins service locations across the state, districts can rest assured that these buses will be well supported throughout their lifetime. It is a true win-win for students, school districts and communities of California.”
