Tucson Unified Unveils EV Bus Fleet

Dozens of guests celebrated Tucson Unified School District’s biggest step into its Climate Action and Sustainability goals on Wednesday, as the District unveiled its 10 new all-electric school buses. The new EV fleet helps TUSD move toward a cleaner and more resilient future while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The buses were purchased from RWC Group and made possible through a $4 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, supplemented by $1.1 million in rebates from Tucson Electric Power, and $1.2 million from the TUSD Bond Project. By replacing 10 aging diesel buses, the district will eliminate an estimated 17,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the vehicles' lifespan – the equivalent of taking 270 passenger cars off Tucson roads. The project was delivered through a strategic partnership with the District’s energy partner, Schneider Electric, who oversaw the technical implementation of the electric vehicle infrastructure.

At the unveiling, attendees got to hear from every organization that had a hand in making the EV fleet possible. Guests were also able to see the new EV buses up close, demonstrations of the dual port charging stations, and take a short ride.

If the pilot program proves success, the District plans to change out all of its current diesel buses to EV buses by 2040 and, in addition to environmental benefits, TUSD expects significant long-term savings in fuel and maintenance costs.