The Cowichan Valley School District’s first fully electric school bus has arrived and will soon be transporting students to and from school.
The IC Bus, type C electric school bus will not only benefit students and staff by being smoother and quieter than its diesel counterparts, but will save more than 2,000 litres of diesel fuel every year. Switching to electric buses also saves approximately 5,533 kilograms of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
“We are excited to welcome the first of our electric school buses to the Cowichan Valley,” said Candace Spilsbury, chair of the Cowichan Valley School District board of education. “The transition to an electric bus is part of our commitment to our students, environment and future. This is another concrete action that we are taking as a result of our Strategic Plan and our Climate Crisis Declaration.”
Offered Ellen Robson: “As a mother with a soon to be kindergartener in SD79 and one of the leads with For Our Kids Cowichan, I’m thrilled that the Cowichan Valley School District is receiving one of the 15 electric school buses from the province. Not only does an electric school bus emit far less greenhouse gases than diesel school buses, it also means cleaner air for kids and our local airshed. While I’m encouraged by this as a first step toward greener, cleaner transportation for children in the district, I also hope that we will see a B.C. commitment to get to a 100 per cent electric fleet as part of a response to the climate crisis.”
The bus will be more than transportation for students. It will also be used as an educational tool for schools and the community.
There will be plenty of opportunities for others to see the new bus as restrictions are eased. The bus will be at events in the future.