Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has ended the remainder of its contract with its Massachusetts-based electric bus company following the county inspector general’s report that the district wasted “millions” of dollars by not enforcing the agreement, MCPS said late Friday afternoon in a statement.
“Following the delivery of 50 EV [electric] school buses anticipated for July 2025, we have determined that it is in our best interest to terminate the remainder of our contract” with Highland Electric Fleets, MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez said Friday. “MCPS will continue to have a business relationship with Highland Electric in order to maintain our fleet of 285 EV school buses after accepting delivery of the last order of 50.”
Lopez said the decision was based on continuing operational challenges, the district’s increasing need for special education buses that Highland Electric Fleets can’t provide and the instability of the electric school bus industry.
The district’s long-term concerns include problems with a growing number of the buses experiencing “extended periods of service interruption,” especially during colder weather; the “current state of the EV school bus industry”; and recent changes that would “withhold federal grant funding related to alternative and sustainable” vehicles, Lopez said.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Ashlyn Campbell over at Bethesda Magazine
