Who Owns the Electric School Bus your Child Rides to School? It's not @MCPS. Is it one of these 3 companies or another company?

MCPS owns their diesel school buses.  When your child rides on a diesel school bus you can know that the bus is owned, operated and maintained by MCPS.

But when it comes to electric school buses, it's anybody's guess as to who owns them and who is paying for liability insurance.  

The Board of Education decided to use electric school buses owned by a private company. They picked one company, contracted with another company, and is now holding a press conference with a third company.    

Shouldn't parents know who owns the school bus their child rides to school each day? 

December 4, 2020:  MCPS sent a Pre-Award Notification letter to Highland Electric Transportation Inc.

February 23, 2021: Montgomery County Board of Education awards  $168,684,990 contract to HET MCPC, LLC, a Maryland Corporation formed on January 8, 2021. 

October 24, 2022: MCPS holds press conference with entirely new company named Highland Electric Fleets, Inc. 

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Media Advisory: MCPS Leads the Nation in School Bus Electrification

October 20, 2022

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Highland Electric Fleets, Inc. will celebrate the recent addition of 61 electric school buses (for a total of 86) to the MCPS bus fleet. This gives MCPS the largest electrified school bus fleet in the nation.

MCPS is committed to being a good steward of natural resources and doing its part to protect the environment. 

On a typical school day, MCPS diesel buses use approximately 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel, emitting greenhouse gasses and harmful matter from tailpipes. Replacing the diesel bus fleet with electric buses brings MCPS one step closer to its pledge of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from its bus fleet to 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035.

WHAT: Press conference and reception.

VISUALS: 15 electric school buses will be available to tour and rides will be available to the nearby Bethesda Bus Depot to examine the electric charging infrastructure.

WHERE: Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda

WHEN: 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022

WHO:

Dana Edwards, Chief of District Operations, MCPS

Brenda Wolff, President, Montgomery County Board of Education

Dr. Monifa B. McKnight, Superintendent of Schools, MCPS 

Jamie Raskin, Representative, U.S. House of Representatives Maryland’s 8th Congressional District

Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive

David V. Fraser-Hidalgo, Maryland State Delegate 

Duncan McIntyre, CEO, Highland Electric Fleets, Inc.

RSVP: This briefing is only for members of the media and invited guests. To RSVP, email Christopher_C_Cram@mcpsmd.org.