In recent years, as municipalities across the country push toward greener solutions, Miami-Dade County Public Schools purchased 75 electric buses and 20 electric school buses for its county-wide transportation system in August 2023. The move reflects MDCPS’s broader push for an environmentally-friendly revamp of its public transportation system.

The Metrobus fleet already had 40 electric buses before the new purchase. The approval for electric school buses came in 2021 after the M-DCPS school board voted. According to MDCPS Bus Driver Julissa Huaman, Miami Palmetto Senior High has two electric school buses that transport students to and from campus. Huaman says the buses have a new distinct characteristic; their green logo on the side instead of the usual black logo.

The school bus system provides a much-needed service to the students who use it. School buses help the environment, transporting multiple students at a time as opposed to those students traveling to school in their private vehicles, which reduces carbon emissions and traffic in the area. The issue arises when these buses emit exhaust, called fine particulate matter pollution, which can cause respiratory issues in children. 

According to BlueBird, the company that manufactures the diesel and electric buses for MDCPS, a fleet of approximately 1,000 buses transports around 40,000 students to and from school every school day. The 20 new electric buses constitute approximately two percent of the county school bus fleet.

“I am glad. I think [the new buses are] the best for everybody, for the environment, for the schools, for us the drivers, for the transportation. It is very good,” Huaman said.

The new electric buses indicate a shift in school transportation overall. The school bus system has not seen a change of this nature before.

MDCPS is not the only school district working towards a greener way to school, Twin River Unified School District in CA and Beverly Public Schools in MA also use electric buses. However, many climate activists say that school districts should do more; in 2021, approximately one percent of all school buses in the U.S. were electric. Huaman reflects the sentiment that the shift to green transportation should happen sooner.

“It’s very, very good for everybody … But I would love to see more,” Huaman said.