By: Diane Benjamin
Remember when Unit 5 bought electric buses? They didn’t notice Connect Transit dumped theirs? https://blnnews.com/2024/11/22/unit-5-bought-5-electric-buses/
A reader sent me this link – NY City is dumping electric buses now because they aren’t reliable and require too much maintenance and electricity: NYC-turns-back-gas-buses-finding-hard-way-electric-versions-big-problems
I sent a FOIA to Unit 5. I’m still waiting for a response to this part of the FOIA: Any staff reports/documents pertaining to the electric buses.
Unit 5 bought three 61 passenger buses and two 72 passenger buses. Grand total: $2,032,690, including tariffs of $41,250 because parts are imported from probably China, Mexico, and Canada. According to the above story, that cost is $43,325 less than the School Board approved. The buses are assembled in the United States.
The invoice for the 61 is dated 7/3/2025, the other two are dated 5/5/2025. Unit 5 is listed as the purchaser on both invoices.
I have two invoices for repairs, both dated September 9, 2026. The first one shows:
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Unit 5 paid $3,230.32 which makes zero sense for replacing batteries especially without warranty covering the cost. The mileage for each bus isn’t listed.
The second invoice is for:
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This repair was covered by the warranty.
Both invoices show First Student as the owner, not Unit 5. They are a huge private company serving 1250 school districts in 39 states and parts of Canada (according to AI). I have no idea why Unit 5 taxpayers bought buses for them. Would you hire a company to transport students and provide the buses?
If your kids are riding an electric bus, ask them to let you know about problems – especially heat this winter.
FOIA response:
First Student/Unit 5 should go with propane buses.
https://www.blue-bird.com/propane/
1 benefit is they are substantially more quiet than diesel.
400k per electric bus??? That’s insane.
Comparable new diesel buses cost about $110,000
Government spending 3x more to have unreliable electric buses, which still cost money to fuel/charge, is insane.
No wonder UNIT 5 student enrollment and student test scores have significantly dropped over the past 10 years; the school board and administration are fools. It trickles down to the students unfortunately, all on the taxpayer dime.
It seems the powers that be did not investigate to see if the purchase of electric buses was feasible. The push on climate change seems to cloud the thinking of those who make the purchases. It has been so evident that electric buses are not reliable so why do they keep tying our money up in them? A question is if Unit 5 is buying them, why do they belong to another entity? There are pros and cons in business that need to be taken into consideration. Is it just easier to go with the flow?