Jackson Schools Considering Three Electric Buses

Grant money could bring three electric school buses to the roads of Jackson County.

Jackson County Director of Schools Jason Hardy said he attended a meeting in May where T-DOT outlined program details should the district decide to move forward. Hardy said he sees a lot of upside to the idea. He said the district would have to use the buses for five years but could sell them with no strings attached at that point.

“There’s three separate fundings that’s federal that they allow us to stack, which is rare,” Hardy said. “Part of it, some of it would pay for the bus, some of it would pay for the infrastructure which would be your charging stations. I think there might be some cost. I don’t know. I’m assuming there’s going to be some cost.”

Hardy said charging stations would have to be installed because there are no existing stations in Gainesboro. Hardy said he would have representatives give the board a presentation in July to help it make an informed decision on how to proceed.

“We’re not in a rush to make a decision, but we’ll probably have to make one, I think, maybe by November,” Hardy said. “It’s pretty much a year-and-a-half process anyway.”

Hardy said he was concerned about how the buses would perform on Gainesboro’s rolling terrain, but was told that it could actually be a great fit for the program. He said the buses charge as they roll down hills.

“You’re looking at eight years,” Hardy said. “Once they get past eight years, the battery maintenance and all that, they’re pretty much.”

He said when he left the initial meeting, he felt he must be missing something because he saw very little downside. He said the board will have a chance to make its decision soon.