VWSD okays purchase of electric school buses, charger installation

The Vicksburg Warren School District during its monthly meeting Thursday re-approved a 2023 motion to purchase electric buses.

VWSD officials said the original February 2023 approval to purchase nine buses could not be completed as the original company was not able to deliver the needed vehicles, leading to Thursday’s re-approval.

The eight electric buses were approved for purchase from Walters Truck and Tractor Co., Inc. using a $3 mil-lion grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Bus Act.

The new buses are currently awaiting proper tags before being used and VWSD officials said traditional diesel buses are still on standby in the event a prolonged electrical outage was to prevent the new vehicles from charging.

The board also approved the purchase of six single-charging stations and one double-port charging station for the electric vehicles. The board’s approval will allow for installation of the chargers by Entergy.

The projected cost of installation is $296,071 over three years. VWSD was granted $160,000 from the EPA Clean School Bus Act to put toward the total cost. District funds will be needed to cover the remaining $136,071 over the three-year time period.