Winthrop Public Schools may soon be putting its fleet of problematic electric school buses back on the road in order to avoid a breach of contract with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
After receiving four electric school buses last year through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, the district found that the vehicles were riddled with serious problems.
The $5 billion federal program launched in October 2022 and has a goal of transitioning all public school bus fleets to 75 percent all-electric buses by 2035.
[RELATED: Pingree Applauds $7.7 Million EPA Grant for Electric School Buses Prone to Malfunction…]
For each electric bus received, the districts reportedly agreed to give up one of their current diesel-powered buses.
Officials in Winthrop have been struggling with these buses for many months now, pulling them off the road entirely after a power steering failure this February forced a driver to pull into a snowbank in order to stop the vehicle.
Prior to this, the district had already reported difficulties with faulty heating systems and leaky windshields that made the glass seem like it’s “not securely in place.”
Winthrop officials told the Kennebec Journal earlier this year that the buses also “came with misaligned or incorrect wording on the side.”
“Every time there is precipitation, they leak. Every time. And as you can imagine, electricity and water do not mix well and we can’t take the chance if it’s leaking. We just can’t drive it,” Hodgkin contemporaneously told the Kennebec Journal.
This past summer, the Maine State Police Vehicle Inspection Unit noted a number of problems with the buses, ranging from loose body rivets and an inoperative driver’s auxiliary fan to a power steering hose that rubbed on a bracket and a malfunctioning rear emergency door check.
Winthrop is not the only school district in Maine to have had difficulties with an electric bus received through the Clean School Bus program.
Vinalhaven’s electric school bus was identified as having side body damage in the form of broken rivets and a lack of wheel chocks, or blocks that prevent the bus from rolling when parked.
Buses in both Winthrop and Vinalhaven have reportedly exhibited wear consistent with older, higher-mileage vehicles — not those that have been driven less than 1,000 miles.
[RELATED: Several Electric School Buses Pulled Off the Road Amidst EV Mandate Controversy]
Following the Winthrop bus’ power steering failure in February, the district sent all four of its vehicles to back to their Canada-based manufacturer Lion Electric so that any existing issues could be fixed.
After having gone through several rounds of repairs, the vehicles were eventually able to pass state inspections.
At the end of May, Winthrop Public Schools Superintendent Jim Hodgkin and Transportation Director Josh Wheeler met with EPA representatives to discuss a path forward regarding the buses.
School officials went on to tell the Kennebec Journal, however, that the EPA could not provide the district a clear answer other than that they may be contractually obligated to pay if they do not use the buses.
[RELATED: EV Fail: Ford Suffers Massive Losses After Pushing Electric Vehicles…]
Superintendent Hodgkin told the Winthrop School Board Wednesday night that EPA recommended using the buses this summer to test their performance.
According to the Journal, Hodgkins said the EPA had explained that the district would be in breach of contract if they continued to hold onto the buses but kept them parked and unplugged in the school parking lot.
“When they show up and the bus is three years old and has 500 miles on it,” said Hodgkin, “it would be a violation.”
“They basically also reminded us that we accepted $1.4 million-worth of equipment and that we have an obligation to run the buses or we are in violation of the contract with the grant,” said Hodgkin. “They stopped short of saying that we have to [use the buses], but we would be liable for the cost of not using them.”
“Would I put my own children on the bus? Sure, I would. I would put myself behind the wheel and drive it,” Hodgkin said, according to WGME. “We do have to honor our contract and give it a shot.”
“I don’t know that I would use the word confident,” said Hodgkin. “I feel like we have a responsibility to give the buses a shot.”
Several members of the Board, however, reportedly expressed concerns about putting the buses back into service, particularly in light of the serious mechanical failure that occurred earlier this year.
The Journal reported that Board members Ivy Corliss and Monika McLaughlin expressed concerns about using the buses to transport children in light of this power steering failure.
“I think it’s interesting the EPA would say we are not making good on our promise for our obligation to drive the buses, but they didn’t make good on their promise to make the buses good and working,” School Board Chair Alicia Lawson said, according to the Journal.
“It blows my mind that they are holding us accountable on our end,” Lawson continued. “I’m not understanding.”
The Board did not make any final decisions regarding the future of these electric buses at Wednesday night’s meeting. Any move to take the buses out of service more permanently would require school board approval.
Ayuh,…. Fvck the Epa,….. Children’s lives hang in the balance,……
As other states fight back at this out of control agency. We need Trump. Thousands of Trumps.
Funny when “free money” looks good until it’s just a bag of shit. Winthrop (any district ) is absolutely dumb for thinking electric busses would be good in weather conditions like Maine.
What happens when those batteries set on fire with children on bus, what happens when it’s -20 and they don’t run.
Guess the district lawyer didn’t read fine print on contract.
School buses in general now trundle around at 10% passenger capacity – at least here in the twin city area. Most school children, I suspect are transported in personal vehicles now. EVs have been rejected by consumers for good reason. Maybe some day electric vehicles will be practical – but forcing EVs on an unwilling nation is so…. Orwellian.
I feel like we are living in an Ayn Rand novel these days. The liberal agenda is now a cartoon. Let’s get some common sense and reject all democrats in November. Enough is enough.