More Than One-Third of EPA All-Electric Grants in New York State Were Awarded to Leonard Bus Sales School Transportation Partners
November 2, 2022 — Leonard Bus Sales is proud to announce that its school transportation partners have received a combined $24 million in federal grants through the Environmental Protection Agency to purchase 61 new all-electric school buses as New York undertakes its ambitious transition to an all-electric zero-emissions school bus fleet by 2035.
“New York state’s first in the nation transition to an all-electric school bus fleet is a major transformation in how schools transport students to and from school and we’re proud to assist our school transportation partners with the challenges that come with such a monumental change, including navigating the grant process to obtain needed funds in support of their fleet acquisition,” said, Jon Leonard, President of Leonard Bus Sales.
In total, $69.6 million was awarded statewide to purchase 184 all-electric school buses during this round of EPA grants, and Leonard Bus Sales’ school transportation partners received nearly 35% of all funds awarded in New York state. Nationwide, the EPA awards will fund the acquisition of 2,468 all-electric school buses in the first round of grants totaling $913,132,000 in aid.
Leonard added, “For nearly 60 years Leonard Bus Sales has been at the forefront of advancements in school transportation and we are bringing all of our expertise and resources to bear to ensure that our school transportation partners are able to efficiently navigate the transition from near zero emission conventional school buses to zero emission all-electric buses.”
Earlier this year, New York state mandated that beginning in 2027 all new school bus purchases be all-electric with a complete transition to all-electric by 2035. Leonard Bus Sales, and its electrification partner Cornice Technology, assisted Leonard’s school transportation partners in applying for grant funds and will also provide them with technical expertise on the preparation, acquisition, maintenance, and logistics related to operating all-electric school bus fleets.
Leonard concluded, “We couldn’t be happier with the amount of funding which was secured. Leonard Bus Sales looks forward to continuing to assist our school transportation partners in taking advantage of the various federal government, state government, and private funding programs so we can help make it easy for them to transition to an all-electric school bus fleet.
About: Leonard Bus Sales, Inc. is owned and operated by the Leonard family, a recognized leader in the distribution and support of quality, environmentally friendly school buses. A third-generation family-owned business, Leonard Bus Sales has been providing cost-saving fleet management services and award-winning customer support for over fifty years. Leonard Bus Sales is a leading distributor of IC BusTM brand buses in Upstate New York and distributes Trans Tech Type-A school buses throughout New York. The company operates full-service facilities in Bergen, Deposit, Middletown, Rome, and Saratoga Springs. www.leonardbus.com
About: Cornice Technology provides products and services to support EV Charging, Energy, and Connectivity. By partnering with local educational facilities to provide training and education Cornice Technology facilities the adoption of electric vehicle ecosystems in the safest way possible. The focus of these partnerships is creating long-term actionable plans that integrate smart grid technologies, scalable infrastructure deployment and energy resiliency.