MCPS is pulling the plug on electric buses

Electric School Buses

Photo: MCPS electric school buses at a depot

MCPS electric school buses at a depot Photo courtesy of Electrek.

In 2021, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) went all in on electric buses. Under former superintendent Monifa McKnight, they took a contract with Highland Electric Fleets, rolling out what was supposed to be the nation’s largest school bus electrification project. The plan was to swap the school system’s current 326 diesel school buses for all-electric ones by 2025, with Highland supplying and maintaining the fleet. 

It’s now 2025, and MCPS is pulling the plug on the project. Superintendent Thomas Taylor confirmed that the school system was scrapping the remaining part of the deal with Highland, canceling an order for 40 more buses that were supposed to be deployed for the 2026 - 2027 school year. MCPS now operates 285 electric buses, though the transition has faced various operational and logistical challenges. 

Big promises, big problems

The initiative was launched with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing student health. The Maryland Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, which required that all new school bus purchases be electric by 2025, further supported MCPS’s move towards sustainability. The plan promised not only better outcomes for students and the planet but also significant savings in operational costs over time. 

As a result of these ambitious goals, the project faced a lot of problems. Highland struggled to meet delivery deadlines early on – the first buses, scheduled to arrive in summer 2021, didn’t show up until months later and after the school year had started. This occurred for three consecutive years – and MCPS ended up having to buy 90 new diesel buses for 14.75 million just to keep students moving.

Even when the buses did arrive, they didn’t always work. Over the span of two years, electric school buses broke down mid-route more than 280 times. The repairs of these buses took far longer than the five-day window outlined in the contract, averaging 13 days per bus. Although the contract allowed for penalties, MCPS did not enforce them, missing out on more than 372,000 dollars in potential fees.

Unforeseen circumstances 

Winter weather further complicated the operation of the electric fleets. Cold temperatures made it difficult for electric buses to maintain their range, as they lost 10 to 20 percent of their charge before even starting their routes (due to the additional energy required to heat the battery before charging). This impacted reliability, particularly for longer routes in which buses struggled to complete a full day of service on a single charge.

 Additionally, there were problems regarding the charging infrastructure itself – which didn’t fully account for the increased demand that cold weather placed on the buses. Some depots had as many as three buses assigned to a single charging station, forcing some buses to remain off the road when charging slots weren’t available. 

Beyond these challenges, MCPS also cited the need for special education buses as a key factor in its decision to terminate the contract. “Our district has an increasing need for special education buses,” MCPS said in a statement. “The current product does not adequately meet the mileage requirements necessary to effectively serve our students.” With the electric fleet’s limited range and reliability concerns, MCPS determined that continuing with the Highland contract would not be in the best interest of student transportation needs.

Highland Electric Fleets declined requests for interviews, citing the confidential nature of the contract and its termination. 

Internal issues and legal challenges

Alongside the operational setbacks, MCPS’s handling of the contractual process has been under scrutiny. Two of the officials involved with awarding the electric bus contract, former Transportation Director Todd Watkins and Assistant Director Charles Ewald, later pleaded guilty to financial misconduct unrelated to the electric bus deal. An investigation found that they had improperly handled district funds while managing the diesel bus contracts, leading to legal challenges over the fairness of the electric bus contract’s bidding process.

Court documents revealed that Highland – the winning bidder – shared an address with American Truck & Bus (ATB), MCPS’s long-time diesel bus vendor. A competing company, AutoFlex Fleet, later sued – arguing that the connection between MCPS officials and ATB influenced the outcome of the bid. 

Though the court didn’t accuse Highland or ATB of wrongdoing, it ruled that the misconduct of Watkins and Ewald should be considered in determining whether the contract had been awarded fairly. The case is still under review by the Montgomery County Board of Education, following orders from the Maryland State Board of Education. 

Student opinions

For students, the electric bus rollout has been a mix of surprise as well as frustration. Megan Stallard, chair of the Student Climate Action Council (SCAC), acknowledged the complexity of the situation, and advocated for more transparency in what comes next. “It’s a very complex situation,” Stallard said. “I’m glad we’ve terminated this contract, but MCPS needs to create and publish a plan for what is happening next with electric buses so that we’re not left in the dark.”

Some students, like junior Lila Lash, didn’t even realize they were riding electric buses. “To be honest, I didn’t even realize our bus was electric until [a friend] told me,” Lash said. “That’s how seamless it is. It’s a little quieter, but other than that, it feels like a regular bus.” However, she also discussed larger concerns about MCPS’s ability to follow through on sustainability efforts. “It feels kind of emblematic of MCPS’s efforts as a whole to move toward sustainability,” she said. “There’s a lot of talk and not a lot of action, or at least successful action.”

What comes next?

MCPS has recovered 1.5 million dollars from Highland as a part of the contract termination, but that amount does not fully offset the financial costs incurred by the delays in bus delivery and infrastructure shortfalls. 

With 285 electric buses already in operation, MCPS still has no formal plan for the future of its fleet. While the district has backed off of its original 2025 deadline, it still has not clarified whether it will continue pursuing electrification or shift toward other alternatives. 

As of now, MCPS’s electric bus initiative remains unfinished. What happens next – and how the district will move past this setback – remains to be seen.