County’s Electric Bus Program Resulted In Millions Of Dollars In ‘Wasteful Spending’

An investigation into a Maryland school system’s electric bus initiative found that it resulted in millions of dollars in “wasteful spending” due to issues with the vehicles, according to a report from the county’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released in late July.

In February 2021, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland announced it was replacing 326 diesel school buses with electric buses as part of its sustainability initiative, the county OIG concluded in the report. Due to delayed deliveries and frequent mechanical issues with the electric buses, the county has had to partially resort back to diesel buses despite the roughly $170 million it paid for the new fleet.

“All of the buses received during fiscal years (FY) 2022-2024 were delivered beyond the contractually required delivery date,” the OIG report stated. As a result, MCPS spent “over $14 million to acquire diesel buses to compensate for not receiving the anticipated electric school buses.”

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In addition to the delays, many of the electric buses have been “inoperable for extended periods,” with the OIG estimating that “MCPS should have assessed the contractor approximately $372,000 for failing to provide serviceable buses between FYs 2022 and 2024.”