Students in the Cowichan Valley School District will soon be riding in style in the District’s first fully electric school bus, which arrived in town this past week.
“We are excited to welcome the first of our electric school buses to the Cowichan Valley,” said District board chair Candace Spilsbury. “The transition to an electric bus is part of our commitment to our students, environment, and future. This is another concrete action that we are taking as a result of our Strategic Plan and our Climate Crisis Declaration.”
A type C electric school bus manufactured by IC Bus, the new addition will be smoother and quieter than its diesel-powered predecessors, the District reported, and will save over 2,000L of diesel fuel every year and. Switching to electric buses will also prevent approximately 5,533Kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
“As a mother with a soon-to-be-kindergartener in SD79, and one of the leads with For Our Kids Cowichan, I’m thrilled that the Cowichan Valley School District is receiving one of the 15 electric school buses from the province,” said Ellen Robson, co-lead of For Our Kids Cowichan. “Not only does an electric school bus emit far less greenhouse gasses than diesel school buses, it also means cleaner air for kids and our local airshed. While I’m encouraged by this as a first step toward greener, cleaner transportation for children in the district, I also hope that we will see a B.C. commitment to get to a 100 per cent electric fleet as part of a response to the climate crisis.”
In addition to transporting students, the electric bus will be used as an educational tool for schools and the community. As COVID restrictions are eased, there will be more opportunities for community members to check out the bus.
