Austin ISD committed in September to replace its entire bus fleet with electric buses by 2035, making it the state’s first district to do so. The bond-funded transition will happen gradually, starting with a goal to transition 25% of the fleet by next academic year. By 2027, AISD plans for 50% of its buses to be electric. The first three buses are already ordered with leftover funds from the district’s 2013 bond program and will arrive next September. Driving them won’t be too different, but the maintenance will be – and AISD has guaranteed that work will not be contracted out to cheaper firms instead of kept in-house.
AISD’s Board of Trustees first approved the project in September, following a growing international trend toward electric mobility and the city of Austin’s own Climate Equity Plan, which aims to make Austin a zero-emission city by 2040. The district shared more information about its commitment on Oct. 17 with support from U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Environment Texas, and Cap Metro. A week earlier, when invites to the press conference went out, one of the recipients, Education Austin President Ken Zarifis, decided to make an ask: He wanted district officials to agree, then and there, that any jobs related to electric buses would not be contracted out of the district in order to cut costs. They did not. Zarifis then called former City Council member and soon-to-be U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Doggett, and labor and climate sustainability organization Texas Climate Jobs with his concerns. One day later, he had assurance from the district that no maintenance jobs would leave AISD, and that the original resolution would be amended to reflect that promise.
“A carbon-free environment is good for everybody and this is a huge labor win. Outsourcing is not a solution, it’s actually a problem, and we want to have control of what goes on in-house; there’s no reason to go outside,” Zarifis said.
“The district had not discussed what those [maintenance] options would be; it was too far out in the future,” said Jacob Reach, chief of governmental relations and board services at AISD, “but we did agree that whatever option we do look at in the future would not include the outsourcing of bus maintenance for an electric fleet.” Kris Hafezizadeh, head of transportation and vehicle services for AISD, is bullish about the plan. “It’s a very good program for our environment, for our students, and for our employees,” Hafezizadeh said. “The cost of a diesel bus is about $100,000 and the cost of an electric bus is close to $380,000. That’s almost four times higher, but in the long run, the maintenance cost will be much lower than working on diesel buses.”
“A carbon-free environment is good for everybody and this is a huge labor win. Outsourcing is not a solution.” – Education Austin President Ken Zarifis
It’ll take almost a year for the recently ordered buses to reach AISD, since they’re made to order and there are supply chain shortages. The district has 548 buses to replace, but hasn’t placed more orders yet to reach its 2027 goal of 50% electric. The 2022 bond proposal allocates $25.7 million for low emission school buses, which could purchase around 256 diesel buses or 67 electric buses. (The bond also allocates money to add A/C to existing diesel buses in the meantime.) If it doesn’t pass this November, and if the maintenance savings don’t free up enough money to finish the acquisitions, Hafezizadeh said the district will go back to the drawing board to reach its 2035 goal through grants and rebate programs.
After seven years at AISD as a bus driver, Rae Hudson is happy about the announcement, but is eager for what the changes mean for her and other drivers after little to no communication about the program. “It was good to hear the district commit to not outsourcing jobs, and I’m hoping they will give us enough training to still provide the necessary services,” she said. “These big vehicles put so much pollution in the environment, so now we’re waiting for these changes to help our planet.”
Candace Hunter, a candidate for the AISD Board in Northeast Austin’s District 1, has family ties to vehicle mechanics and questions how the program will work. She was concerned that the project would lead to current AISD employees losing their jobs, so she spoke to bus drivers at the Nelson Field depot about their electric bus thoughts. “They didn’t know anything about it or how the buses work; it’s just a big idea. … It sounds really great, and I’m glad the city wants to have better, cleaner air. I just don’t know if enough boxes have been checked for communication, and because it’s so far out, it’s hard to tell if [communication] will come,” Hunter said.
Electric bus maintenance training for drivers is estimated to begin in May or June from International Bus Manufacturers, maker of the buses that the district purchased. AISD’s retired diesel buses will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
This article appears in October 28 • 2022.