Orange Unified School District Orders Eight Zero-Emission School Buses

Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD), the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, has received an order for eight electric school buses from Orange Unified School District (OUSD) in California. Due to the purchase, the school district will more than double the size of its current Blue Bird electric school bus fleet.

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Orange Unified City School in California increasingly relies on an all Blue Bird electric vehicle (EV) school buses to meet its future transportation needs. The school district recently ordered eight Blue Bird All American Type D electric school buses, more than doubling the size of its zero-emission bus fleet. (Photo: Business Wire)

Orange Unified School District started transitioning to electric school buses in 2021 by purchasing seven Blue Bird All American Type D electric school buses. Today, the school district increasingly relies on Blue Bird electric vehicles (EV) to meet its transportation needs. The district anticipates delivery of the eight buses in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Orange Unified School District will benefit from considerable cost-saving opportunities by reducing or eliminating the fuel and maintenance costs tied to traditional diesel-powered vehicles. Select Blue Bird customers reported fuel costs of up to 49 cents per mile for their diesel buses, compared to an average of 14 cents per mile in energy costs for electric buses. The school district could save more than $120,000 a year in fuel costs alone by operating its EV fleet.

“The price of diesel fuel continues to rise sharply. With the purchase of Blue Bird electric school buses, Orange Unified School District is taking active steps to reduce our fossil fuel dependency, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and improve community health,” said OUSD Director of Transportation Christina Celeste-Russo. “Orange Unified School District is leading the way to sustainable student transportation.”

“We are delighted to partner with the Orange Unified School District as they expand their Blue Bird electric school bus fleet,” said Blue Bird Corporation President and CEO Matthew Stevenson. “Blue Bird’s most advanced, electric-powered buses help Orange USD turn its vision of clean school bus transportation into reality. Soon, thousands of school children across the district will enjoy emission-free rides to school.”

Orange Unified School District recently purchased eight Blue Bird All American Type D electric school buses. Blue Bird is the only U.S.-owned and operated school bus manufacturer in the United States. The company’s All American Type D electric buses can carry a maximum of 84 passengers for up to 120 miles on a single charge. Depending on the charging infrastructure, they take between three and eight hours to recharge fully.

Blue Bird’s electric school buses were partially funded by California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and/or the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) funds.

Orange Unified School District educates approximately 28,000 students in grades TK through 12 who reside in the cities of Orange, Villa Park, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and unincorporated areas of Orange County, California. In partnership with its community, OUSD provides a safe, equitable, and innovative culture of learning for each scholar to have a competitive EDGE as a leader. More information about the Orange Unified School District is available at orangeusd.org.

About Blue Bird Corporation

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. Blue Bird buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – the majority of 25 million children twice a day – making us the most trusted brand in the industry. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 20,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses in operation today. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird's complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com. For Blue Bird's line of emission-free electric buses, visit www.bluebirdelectricbus.com.

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