Committee approves 3‑plus‑2 year transportation contract; staff to pursue school‑bus electrification planning

The Medford School Committee voted to approve a three‑year contract with options to extend for two additional one‑year terms for student transportation services, accepting the single bid received from Eastern Bus. Member Graham moved to approve the contract and the roll call vote was 7‑0 in favor.

Separately, Brenda Pike, planning, development and sustainability planner for the city, and Noel Velez, the district’s director of finance, presented early findings from a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center technical assistance award and a consultant assessment. Pike said consultants recommended a phased electrification approach: an initial phase replacing four diesel buses with electric buses over five years housed at Eastern Bus’s Malden facility, followed by subsequent phases over 10 years with chargers incorporated into the proposed new high school design.

Pike said electric buses have higher upfront costs — “almost twice as much as comparable diesel buses” — but that with available grants and incentives the 10‑year capital and operations costs could be lower than diesel. Committee members asked about utility capacity and where buses would be charged. Pike said National Grid had been contacted and in an initial assessment did not identify capacity constraints for the high school location, with more detailed study to follow.

Member Graham moved that the electrification plan and fall report be referred to the Strategic and Capital Planning subcommittee; the motion passed on roll call, 7‑0. The district will receive the full electrification analysis this fall, after which the subcommittee will consider next steps including ownership models and infrastructure costs.