"Branford Public Schools has signed a 10-year, $60 million (€55 million) transportation contract with California-based Zum, marking the first agreement of its kind in Connecticut and setting the district on a path to a fully electric school bus fleet within five years. The Branford initiative aligns with Connecticut's legislative goal of deploying zero-emission school buses in environmental justice communities by 2030. The project is supported by federal and state funding programs, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Rebate Program, with allocations exceeding $6 million (€5.6 million) for vehicle and infrastructure costs."
"Founded in California, Zum operates school transportation services in several U.S. states including Massachusetts, Maryland, California, Washington, Texas, Illinois, and Tennessee, with further expansions planned in Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The company describes itself as the nation's first fully carbon-neutral student transportation provider and has committed to a Net Zero initiative aimed at fleet-wide electrification."
"The electrification of school buses in the United States is rapidly accelerating, with over 13,759 electric school buses committed by 1,572 school districts and fleet operators (4,500 in 2024 only), according to data from the Electric School Bus Data Dashboard available on the website of the WRI-backed Electric School Bus Initiative."
Branford Public Schools signed a 10-year, $60 million contract with Zum to replace diesel buses with battery-electric models, targeting a fully electric fleet within five years. Federal and state funding, including over $6 million from the U.S. EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Program, will support vehicle and infrastructure costs. Operations are scheduled to begin in the 2024–25 school year with local deployment of charging infrastructure. The initiative advances Connecticut's goal of zero-emission buses in environmental justice communities by 2030. Zum will implement digital tools, route optimization, and pursue fleet-wide electrification through a Net Zero initiative.
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