WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — On Friday, Williamsburg James City County Schools announced the rollout of four electric school buses.
These new buses are part of Dominion Energy’s electric school bus deployment program. They have provided similar buses to 15 localities across the Commonwealth.
“We are honored to be among the first school divisions in the state to receive the Jouley electric school buses,” Dr. Olwen Herron, superintendent, said. “These four buses reflect our strong commitment to environmental stewardship, fiscal responsibility and safety. Our participation in the first round of Dominion Energy’s electric bus program is due to the hard work and forward-thinking of our transportation team led by Marcellus Snipes, John Lambusta and Billy Estes.”
According to Dominion Energy, replacing one diesel bus with a zero-emissions electric bus is the equivalent of taking 5.2 cars off the road each year. In addition, the buses will have air quality that is five times that of their diesel counterparts.
The buses will also be able to provide a power reserve to store energy for needs throughout the community.
School officials will host a “rollout celebration” for the buses on June 9 that will include brief rides.
The buses are expected to enter service this summer.