Kids will soon be riding electric school buses in this L.A. County school district

Hundreds of local students will be taking rides to and from school in new state-of-the-art electric buses that will be deployed this spring.

The Compton Unified School District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to unveil its new fleet of 25 electric school buses and charging stations.

The 25 new buses were funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. The School District plans to purchase an additional 25 electric buses in the future.

“These new electric buses are an investment in our students’ future—providing safe, clean transportation as they pursue their dreams,” said CUSD Superintendent Darin Brawley.

Durham School Services, the district’s transportation provider, played a crucial role in the transition to electric vehicles, officials said.

Highland Electric Fleets, which helps organizations transition their existing vehicle fleets toward electric, said the new buses for Compton Unified are “cleaner, quieter and healthier transportation for the community.” Chief Commercial Officer Brian Buccella said that’s “especially important in a county where 1 in 11 children have asthma.”

In preparation for the bus rollout, hands-on training sessions for technicians were conducted in January, covering EV safety, charging stations and operations.

The new electric buses are expected to reduce emissions and provide a quieter, more environmentally friendly transportation option for Compton students.

“These new buses not only provide for a more sustainable, healthier Compton community, they also serve as an exemplar of innovation and social responsibility for our Compton Scholars,” said CUSD Board of Trustees President Micah Ali.

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