FAQs about Ritenour’s Future Electric Buses

Ritenour has been selected to receive a grant for a fleet of 24 electric school buses through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2023 Clean School Bus Grant Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that is providing $5 billion over five years for zero-emission (electric) and low-emission (propane and compressed natural gas - CNG) school buses nationwide.

• We were approached by Midwest Bus Sales to see if we would be interested in pursuing a grant for electric buses so they could recirculate our 2017 buses in districts with very old diesel buses

• We worked with St. Louis Clean Cities on the grant.

• We don’t anticipate having any out-of-pocket expenses based on the grant money and the sale of 24 diesel buses.

• Ritenour School District is within the boundaries of the St. Louis Ozone Nonattainment Area. This means ozone levels exceed the EPA’s national standard. Diesel exhaust emissions include nitrogen oxides (Nox) and particulate matter (PM), which contribute to the formation of ozone. These pollutants negatively impact human health, especially for children, who have a faster breathing rate than adults and whose lungs are not yet fully developed. Bus drivers and school staff are also exposed to the pollutants from diesel-fueled school buses.

• Ritenour qualified as a priority district in the 2023 Clean School Bus Grant Program. School districts listed in the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) School District Estimates for 2021 as having 20% or more students living in poverty received preference and higher funding amounts per bus.

• Thirdly, what also makes Ritenour unique, is that our current fleet of buses is only 6 years old, so they can be sold to other schools or transportation companies that need to replace old, inefficient buses. (Ritenour started its own transportation department at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year.)

The grant of $9,495,000, along with $840,000 that the district will receive for selling 24 diesel buses will pay for 24 electric buses, the charging stations and infrastructure needed at the bus depot.

• These new electric buses will be more comfortable with air conditioning for our students and drivers.

• The elimination of diesel exhaust emissions will benefit the health of students, drivers, and residents throughout the community.

• There will be significant cost savings for fuel and maintenance.

• Electric buses will be quieter for our residents who live near the bus depot

• It aligns with our commitment to environmental stewardship (new LED lighting in all our buildings. Ritenour has updated HVAC systems that are more efficient. Solar panels on our schools’ roofs generate some of the electricity needed. The Ritenour Early Childhood Center and Auditorium at Ritenour High School were built with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Approximately 3,750 Ritenour students, slightly over half of the enrolled students, rely on buses for daily transportation.

Our current buses seat up to 71 students. The new EV buses will have a 77-person capacity.

The new electric buses will be equipped with air conditioning, operate quietly, and offer a more comfortable experience for both drivers and students. Several school districts in other states that use electric buses report lower discipline problems on electric buses because they are so quiet. It is better for student management because the driver and students can communicate more easily because of the lack of bus engine noise. Drivers of electric buses say they can also hear conversations among students, and address any problems before they escalate.  

The new electric buses are expected to be quieter, benefiting neighbors living near the bus depot.

Each electric bus can cover approximately 130 miles on a single charge. In colder weather, the mileage on a charge will diminish but will still be able to complete daily routes on a single charge. Currently, 22 out of 24 Ritenour bus routes are 30 miles or less per day -- well within the range of completing their day on a single charge.

School districts in Colorado, Michigan and Maryland, as well as the St. Louis Bi-State Bus System have shared with us that their electric buses have fared very well in extreme winter weather with very low temperatures and do not have problems starting or completing their expected routes. Their experience is that they start quickly compared to the time it takes for a diesel bus to start up in the winter. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, cold weather or extremely hot weather can reduce the total mileage that an electric bus has on a single charge, but Ritenour routes are only about 30 miles or less per day per bus -- well under the expected mileage per charge. The bus depot, located in the middle of the 9-square-mile school district, will have charging stations. Though it’s highly unlikely, our electric buses can recharge between their morning and afternoon routes if needed. 

Electric buses are expected to be more reliable, starting up quickly and quietly in winter months. The air conditioning will make the ride much more comfortable for the driver and students during the heat of the summer and early fall. Although the air conditioning uses more power, the length of the Ritenour bus routes are well under the threshold for needing additional charging between morning and afternoon bus routes. The functionality and ease of driving the electric buses can potentially enhance driver retention and attract new bus drivers.

Ritenour will retain four diesel buses for longer trips.

Typically, we see about a 50% fuel cost savings between diesel and electricity. The efficiencies vary widely depending on the route, but in simple terms, on average, the energy cost of an EV is equivalent to $1.00/gallon of diesel gas.

Yes! The cost to charge batteries will be considerably less than the diesel fuel and oil needed for the buses. The district spends nearly $200,000 for diesel fuel and regular oil changes each year for the current fleet. On average, the utility electric cost typically comes out around the equivalent of $1.00/gal. Our savings equate to the salaries and benefits of four first-year teachers.

The battery is designed to last the life of the bus, typically, 12-15 years. The batteries will have less energy in them as the years progress which will affect the range. The batteries can be recycled and repurposed.

Typically, the duty cycle for a diesel bus is about 15 years.

Three truck and freight service centers in our area are qualified to complete service on electric buses.

The new buses are expected to arrive in Ritenour in the late fall 2024/early winter 2025. All Ritenour bus drivers will receive training on best practices for driving and maintaining an electric bus before they make their debut with students.

According to several reliable sources that published research (Autoweek.com. The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the US National Transportation Safety Board), EVs are less likely to catch fire than diesel buses. For regular vehicles, full EVs fared the best compared to hybrids and gasoline-powered vehicles.