PSD and First Student partner for electric buses

By Terry Murry on Monday, June 3rd, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – The Environmental Protection Agency announced last week that the Pendleton School District is one of 10 in Oregon to receive rebate funding via the Clean School Bus rebate program The school district is receiving slightly more than $4 million to purchase 13 electric school buses and help establish the infrastructure required to run and maintain the fleet.

PSD officials partnered with First Student, the company that operates the school buses in Pendleton, to apply for the grant. Transportation Director Matt Yoshioka said the buses will be owned and maintained by First Student and be used primarily for bus routes within the Pendleton city limits.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with First Student and their willingness to be proactive in their approach to student transportation,” Yoshioka stated in a news release. “We look forward to seeing these new buses being added to the Pendleton fleet and hope to see more new and innovative ideas and opportunities happen for our district and our students in the future.”

The timeline for when the buses will be in use is not currently known. Officials say it will take at least a year for the buses to arrive and for the needed infrastructure to be completed.

Photo provided by EPA