Sac City celebrates new electric school buses after jump in diesel fuel prices
Sacramento City Unified School District’s sustainability manager is pushing to make electric buses 80% of the district’s fleet within five years — a goal she says will save money and cut emissions.
On Tuesday, as the district celebrated National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day outside the SCUSD Transportation Department building, officials highlighted the seven new electric buses added to the fleet this school year. Together the buses have saved 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel this year, according to the school district.
“We all know that diesel prices are pretty volatile,” said Chamberlain Segrest, the district’s sustainability manager. “If you were to look at it now, we’re doing great on savings because SMUD electricity is actually pretty cheap.”
There are also air quality benefits. The Sacramento Valley is “located between two mountain chains which can trap air pollution or smog at the ground level,” said Segrest.
“The most obvious way that (an electric-powered bus) affects students’ life is that it reduces the air pollution that they’re breathing,” Segrest continued. “I would love to see us in the next five years to be something like 80%.”
The school district runs 105 buses serving about 2,650 students. Its fleet includes 86 diesel-powered buses and 19 electric buses, with two more electric buses expected to arrive in October. The seven new EV buses — each costing about $350,000 — were acquired through a $2.4 million grant from the Sacramento Air Quality Management District’s incentive program.
Segrest also noted that while the school district’s carbon neutrality goal focuses on buildings, she hopes to expand that vision to transportation, including school buses and other administrative and operational vehicles. In 2023, SCUSD approved a resolution to make its buildings’ energy use carbon neutral by 2045, aligning with California’s broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.
Paul Philley, a program manager at the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, said electrifying transportation is a key element for the agency to meet its goal to improve air quality and achieve climate goals in the Sacramento region. But the spike in fuel prices has also strengthened the case for adding more electric buses.
“In SMUD territory, the electricity is a lot cheaper than buying diesel right now, so that’ll help make sure that the budget is kept whole for the school district, and more dollars can go into classrooms,” Philley said.
California has faced fuel price shock as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, with prices hitting $5.97 per gallon of regular gas as of Tuesday, according to AAA data. That’s about 25% higher than a year ago.
Diesel prices have risen even more dramatically, averaging $7.48 per gallon in the state on Tuesday — a roughly 50% increase from a year ago.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District identifies PM2.5, or fine particulate matter linked to lung and heart health problems, and ozone as two major air quality concerns for the region. Diesel-powered vehicles contribute to both pollutants.
“It also means that we can start fostering lifelong adoption. If you have kids who get to school riding an electric school bus, they are comfortable with the technology, and they’re more likely to choose that when they grow older, and more and more options become available, which they are every year.”
