Unionville-Chadds Ford board weighs electric-bus plan as federal rebate portal remains closed

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District officials on March 10 reviewed competing paths for this spring’s planned bus purchases after a federal rebate program that would have covered most of the cost for electric buses remained inaccessible.

At a facilities briefing, district staff recapped that the district had been awarded a $1,000,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus rebate and a $312,000 state grant to help pay for five electric buses. The district also has a purchase order with Ride to build five electric buses with an October–November 2025 delivery window.

Facilities staff said two proposals are needed to put the electric option in place: a proposal from Denny Electric Supply for the fast chargers (presented at $555,200 in the briefing) and a second proposal from AJM Electric for upgraded 480-volt service and associated work (presented at $144,068). Officials told the board those infrastructure proposals were within the amounts budgeted for upgrades in the district’s long-range facilities plan and said the bids were lower than earlier cost comparisons.

District officials also described a contingency plan: buy five 72-passenger diesel buses from Wolfington off the state contract at $145,604 each (a total shown in the briefing as $728,000) if federal funding is not available. The district said it had budgeted $700,000 for the purchase in the long-range plan and that diesel stock buses could be delivered sooner than custom-order vehicles.

“Unless we see any movement on the rebate portal or any announcement that these EPA funds are indeed being released, we’re going to, on the side of budget certainty, recommend proceeding with 6.2,” facilities staff said, referring to the diesel-purchase agenda item. At the same time, staff asked the board to allow the district to wait as long as possible before committing, to preserve the chance the EPA portal reopens.

Board members pressed staff on timing, vendor flexibility and risks. Staff said Ride allowed the district to cancel the electric-bus purchase without penalty through March 31 and that Highland Fleets — the partner that helped apply for the EPA rebate and had managed the district’s electric-bus pilot — could provide leasing or other options but at higher cost. Board members asked whether the district could stagger any diesel purchases to buy time; staff said partial orders were possible but could mean paying higher unit costs or accepting in‑stock buses with smaller capacity.

Transportation staff said operating older buses beyond the planned replacement cycle raises maintenance costs and reliability risk, and they recommended replacing buses on a timetable that preserves safe, dependable service. Board members asked for additional detail on the five specific buses that would be retired under the diesel plan — mileage, age and one‑year repair estimates — and staff agreed to provide that information.

No formal vote was held at the work session. Administration said it would seek board guidance at the March 17 regular meeting and recommended a decision point by March 31 so the district could meet summer infrastructure timelines if it proceeded with electric chargers.