DEARBORN – Throughout the years, the Michigan Department of Education has made grant funds available for schools to buy electric buses. And while the ride on these buses are smooth, change can be a bumpy ride.

The Dearborn Public School District currently has one electric school bus, but come this fall, 18 additional electric buses will be added to the fleet. However, they were awarded the money for the buses in 2022.

“All of these things do take some time,” David Mustonen, the Communications Director for Dearborn Public Schools told WXYZ-TV. “So it has been about a two-year process.”

Part of making the ride smooth is a good charge. Dearborn Public Schools is currently installing the infrastructure; however there is concern about having charging stations elsewhere.

“If we take a bus on a long field trip somewhere, are we going to be able to charge that bus when it gets there or is it going to be able to make that trip there and back?” Mustonen said. “These are all the things that we are figuring out.”

“There is a lot of demand right now, and as we saw during the pandemic, when there is high demand sometimes it takes a little longer to actually physically get the buses on site,” said Diane Golzynski, the deputy superintendent for business, health and library services for the Michigan Department of Education about the delay in handing the electric busses to the school districts.

The Ann Arbor Public School System was told the electric buses there can go 125 miles in winter, and further in warmer weather. While there might be concerns, there are also benefits, like the health of children.

“By reducing the emissions from diesel school buses, for example, we can provide cleaner air,” Golzynski told WXYZ-TV. “It helps especially kids with asthma; they tend to have less absences.”

Also, it can save schools money on maintenance. $125 million from this year’s state budget is going towards replacing diesel buses with electric ones. So far, 30 million has been awarded to 29 Michigan schools. Schools can apply for the additional $95 million now.

“So there are some concerns, but they’re not concerns that would stop us from doing this,” Mustonen said. “They are concerns we have to take into account as the district brings these busses into the fleet.”

Schools across the state have until October 12 to apply for grant funding for electric buses.