About the texas electric school bus project

1. Educating the community and engaging stakeholders:

To successfully transition to a fully electric school bus fleet in Texas, we must first make sure that the community is aware of the problem concerning diesel school buses and the solutions that are available. To fulfill our mission, we must first empower students, teachers, parents, bus drivers, and all other stakeholders to activate their potential collective power. We create and distribute easy to digest, heavily vetted, educational materials to help people build momentum for change within their own communities. 

· Website for resources and events

· Access to resources in Spanish

· Volunteer opportunities

· Toolkits customized for PTAs, PTOs, Parents, Students, School Boards, Transportation Directors, etc

· Letter, email and social media post samples and templates

· Petition templates

· Access to strategy consulting

· Slideshow decks and presentations customized for the audience

· Lunch and learns

· Webinars

· Tables at Festivals

· Events in the community

· Traveling bus exhibit

2. ESB Transition Teambuilding and Consulting for School Districts:

We are in the early stages of our transition to electric mobility in general and Electric School Buses in particular. There is a lot of information to digest and synthesize. It is not easy and we are here to help. We strive to empower individuals and districts with knowledge and information to facilitate and ease the transition.  There are 299 priority outreach school districts in Texas that have been identified by the World Resources Institute’s Clean School Bus initiative. These districts are in areas with high levels of existing air pollution, coupled with a high concentration of low-income households. We will offer zero-cost assistance and support to these districts first.

· Fleet studies

· Route optimization

· ESB Transition Team Building

· Resources for funding

· Infrastructure planning

· A clear roadmap to follow with built in check-ins and planned consultation times 

3. Electric Commitments from School Districts in Texas:

Austin ISD has committed to a fully electric school bus fleet by 2035. To spur the ESB movement in Texas, we must secure fully electric fleet commitments from school districts across Texas, from Beaumont to Marfa, from McAllen to Amarillo and everywhere in between. Along with our grassroots community efforts, we are working behind the scenes to secure a growing list of “Fully Electric Fleet Commitments”.

4. Networking and working groups for ESB stakeholders in Texas:

Our “Thought Partner” program brings together the leaders in ESBs from Texas, the US, and all over the world to address the unique needs of Texas. In our quarterly round table events we bring together manufacturers, electrical utilities, charging infrastructure companies, energy companies, trade associations, universities, municipalities, school districts and other non-profits. Here we will engage in creative problem solving, teambuilding and networking to move us closer to our goals. 

· Quarterly roundtable event

· Working groups

· Thought Partner newsletter and directory

· Happy hours and lunch and learns

5. Repowers:

The key to a swift and equitable shift to a fully electric school bus fleet in Texas. Repowered diesel school buses represent a real opportunity to responsibly steward our existing resources, and to drastically reduce the cost of the transition to ESBs. New ESBs are upwards of $375,000 and a re-powered, like new, ESB can be delivered for $150,000. This significantly reduces the price barrier to entry that currently exists in the market. It also addresses another key concern, the ESB supply chain. Repowers can be done quickly and regionally, shrinking the total lifetime emissions of the school buses and the wait times for districts to receive them. With a repower option, more school districts will be able to buy in faster. They will also help smooth the transition for districts, maintenance staff, and bus drivers. This technology provides a bridge that connects the past with the future.