• School District Launches Pilot Program with 23 Zero-emission Vehicles Funded by EPA’s Clean School Bus Program

MACON, Ga. / Jan 03, 2024 / Business Wire / Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD), the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, is supplying 23 electric school buses to Carter County Schools (CCS) in Kentucky. The zero-emission vehicles mark a new era of clean student transportation for the school district. CCS operates eleven schools serving approximately 4,200 students.

Blue Bird provides its new Vision electric school buses to CCS. The state-of-the-art electric bus features an extended range, faster battery charging, and increased seating capacity.

Blue Bird’s most advanced Vision electric school bus carries a higher-capacity battery of 196kWh, a more than 25 percent capacity increase compared to the previous model bus. The battery enables a vehicle range of up to 130 miles on a single charge. The high-performance battery takes merely three hours to fully recharge since it supports a fast-charging rate of 80kW.

The compact and lightweight batteries contribute to improved efficiency and a vehicle weight reduction of approximately 1,000 lbs. In turn, Blue Bird increased the seating capacity of its new Vision electric bus to 77 passengers, up from 72 passengers.

After the completion of the latest Blue Bird bus delivery, CCS will maintain a bus fleet of nearly 75 vehicles. CCS school buses travel more than 3,600 miles each school day, as they pick up and safely transport up to 3,000 students to and from schools.

“We are thrilled to deploy our very first electric school buses to lower the emissions of our school bus fleet,” said Dr. Paul Green, superintendent of Carter County Schools. “Clean student transportation is one of our top priorities. Blue Bird’s most advanced, zero-emission school buses will help us to create a healthier environment for our students and our communities at-large.”

“We are pleased that Carter County Schools places its trust in Blue Bird to help the school district transition to clean student transportation,” said Britton Smith, president of Blue Bird Corporation. “Over the past century, Blue Bird has emerged as an iconic company well recognized for its best-in-class technology and innovation. Today, school districts and students alike benefit from Blue Bird’s unrivalled leadership in low- and zero-emission vehicles. Electric school buses mean cleaner air to breathe.”

CCS received a $9,085,000 grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate Program to purchase its Blue Bird electric school bus fleet. This program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) which provides a total of $5 billion over five years for clean school bus transportation nationwide. Last year, the EPA awarded nearly $1 billion in funding to school districts across all 50 U.S. states for more than 2,400 clean school buses. In 2023, the EPA plans to offer an additional $1 billion in funding for low- and zero-emission school buses.

Blue Bird is the only U.S.-owned and operated school bus manufacturer in the United States. The company remains the proven clean transportation leader with more than 1,500 electric-powered, zero-emission school buses in operation today. CCS purchased its advanced electric vehicles through Blue Bird’s authorized school bus dealer Central States Bus Sales, Inc. in Lexington, Ky.

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.

About Carter County Schools

Carter County Schools has established a reputation for excellence throughout the state. Over the past several years, hundreds of educators have come to our district to learn what they could do to provide better opportunities for students across the Commonwealth. Most of these visitors affirmed what we know to be true; our teachers and support staff are the best! The dedication and commitment to the success of the students in Carter County is evident in each of our schools.

​Many changes are taking place in Kentucky's educational system. While the measures of success look different than in the past, our commitment to excellence is unchanged. We realize that a good education can make a world of difference. The Global Partnership for Education website contains the following quote, "Girls and boys who learn to read, write and count will provide a better future for their families and countries. With improved education, so many other areas are positively affected. In short, education has the power to make the world a better place." What an awesome privilege and responsibility our employees have to work in a profession that can make such a positive difference.

Education is a partnership between students, parents, schools and community. Working together, we have the opportunity to impact the lives of our children. According to research, "When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more." There are many opportunities to be involved in our children's education. We urge you to find ways to participate in fulfilling our district's vision of being "The Standard of Excellence." For more information on Carter County Schools, visit www.cartercountyschools.org.