SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Lake Tahoe Unified School District is happy to be on the forefront of new technology, and nothing proves that point more than the district’s acquisition of several electric buses. 

In 2019, the school district had several buses in its fleet that needed to be replaced. At the time, the infrastructure for electric buses wasn’t in place and the technology for buses being used for long-distance trips was lacking, so the district purchased several diesel buses. There was an outcry from the community and students about the purchase, preferring for the district to instead pursue electric. 

“Our board asked ‘How are we going to shift away from the use of fossil fuel and truly be sustainable?'” said Dr. Todd Cutler, LTUSD Superintendent. 

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The board, shortly after, passed a resolution to be fully sustainable by 2035. 

In 2021, the district received grant funding through the California Energy Commission’s School Bus Replacement Program, which allowed the district to surrender several of its diesel buses in exchange for electric buses. 

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“It was a difficult process,” said Andrea Salazar, former Chief Business Operations Officer at LTUSD, who was instrumental in getting the buses.

With supply-line issues due to COVID-19, making sure the infrastructure was in place before the buses arrived was challenging. 

“It was an arduous process for sure but I know it’s best for the school district and everybody really appreciates them,” said Salazar. 

When the process started in 2019, there were concerns that the technology in the buses wasn’t far enough ahead yet. Over the last five years, technology has advanced significantly. 

There are still concerns, Dave Zebo, LTUSD Director of Facilities & Transportation is apprehensive about how the buses will handle a full Tahoe winter. But Cutler said he knows other school districts have their eyes on LTUSD and they have a chance to be leaders in this area. 

“As the technology advances, this is really a process of getting to know the buses, what they can do, and what the limitations are. We’re going to be doing that over the next few years as we continue to gain more electric buses and put them out on the road,” Cutler said.

The district has a total of 26 buses in its fleet, 15 are route buses and five are EV buses. 

The district purchased the buses from A-Z Bus Sales. As an add-on for the purchases, the company also provides training for the district’s drivers and mechanics. 

At the same time the district was working towards switching out its bus fleet, Liberty Utilities was working on understanding the needs of the school district. Matt Newberry, Business and Community Development Manager has been working on getting EV charging stations installed throughout the city. 

“In this case, we had funding through the California Public Utility Commission to put in these chargers at no cost to the district,” said Newberry. 

Liberty paid for the installation of the charges and owns them, while the district still pays for the energy. 

“The Public Utilities Commission has goals to see utilities support their customers in advancing their renewable electricity usage,” said Newberry. 

Newberry said Liberty is in the process of trying to get more chargers for the district. 

There has been excitement around the current fleet of EV buses. 

Bus Driver Tressy O’Keefe took the Tribune on a ride around town in one of the buses. She had nothing but good things to say about the smoothness of the ride, the turning radius, the acceleration on hills, the engine-stopping mechanism, and on and on. 

She also said the students have been excited to ride on the buses and she’s spent a lot of time teaching them to be respectful of the buses. 

After weeks of them being in service, they still look brand new. 

You might not hear the buses driving down your street, they are quieter than diesel buses. Look for the bright green bumpers and stickers so you know it’s an EV bus and O’Keefe and the other drivers a wave.