Maine school systems selected to be part of a federal grant, the Clean School Bus Program, are having issues with new electric school buses in their fleet. The Winthrop School District has four electric school buses out of service. One of the first breakdowns occurred last winter. A school bus driver was driving one of the electric buses, with some elementary school students on board. The bus suddenly stopped running. Winthrop Supervisor Jim Hodgkin says the driver was able to stop the bus on the side of the road because they were traveling at a low speed. Hodgkin says the buses were sent to be maintained by Lion Electric, based in Quebec, Canada. He says it took 3 months to get them back. After the electric buses returned, they had to be inspected by the Maine State Police. Hodgkin says all four electric buses failed police inspection. Some problems include heating problems and emergency exits. “Our director is setting up a meeting between the state police and a Lion Electric technician to find out why the buses are breaking down,” Hodgkin says. The superintendent in Yarmouth says their district has not been able to use their Lion Electric school buses for 3 weeks. Problems include catastrophic battery failure, blown compressors, and loss of power. The superintendent of Bingham and Moscow in Somerset County says they have not had any problems with the electric school bus used for daily trips. The schools did not pay for these electric buses. They have been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to participate in the Clean School Bus Program. For every electric school bus the district gets for free, it replaces it with a diesel bus. Hodgkin has held a meeting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine what the district can do with the four electric buses that are out of service at Winthrop. There is no impact on student transportation at Winthrop, Hodgkin says, because Lion Electric is covering the rental and fuel costs for three additional diesel buses.
Maine school systems selected to be part of a federal grant, the Clean School Bus Program, are having issues with new electric school buses in their fleet.
The Winthrop School District has four electric school buses out of service.
One of the first breakdowns occurred last winter. A school bus driver was driving one of the electric buses, with some elementary school students on board. The bus suddenly stopped running. Winthrop Supervisor Jim Hodgkin says the driver was able to stop the bus on the side of the road because they were traveling at a low speed.
Hodgkin says the buses were sent to be maintained by Lion Electric, based in Quebec, Canada. He says it took 3 months to get them back.
After the electric buses returned, they had to be inspected by the Maine State Police. Hodgkin says all four electric buses failed police inspection. Some problems include heating problems and emergency exits.
“Our director is setting up a meeting between the state police and a Lion Electric technician to find out why the buses are breaking down,” Hodgkin says.
The superintendent in Yarmouth says their district has not been able to use their Lion Electric school buses for 3 weeks. Problems include catastrophic battery failure, blown compressors, and loss of power.
The superintendent of Bingham and Moscow in Somerset County says they have not had any problems with the electric school bus used for daily trips.
The schools did not pay for these electric buses. They have been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to participate in the Clean School Bus Program. For every electric school bus the district received for free, it was replaced with a diesel bus.
Hodgkin is scheduled to hold a meeting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine what the district can do with the four electric buses now out of service at Winthrop.
Hodgkin says there is no impact on student transportation at Winthrop, because Lion Electric is covering the rental and fuel costs for three additional diesel buses.
(Tags for translation)Channel 8
