Blue Bird is delivering 25 electric school buses to Little Rock School District (LRSD) in Arkansas. The zero-emission school bus fleet marks a new era of clean student transportation for the school district, which is the third-largest school district in the state and operates more than 40 schools serving over 19,000 students.

The district will receive Blue Bird’s Vision electric school buses featuring a vehicle range of up to 130 miles on a single charge and can carry up to 69 passengers. The batteries take two hours to recharge fully.

After completing the Blue Bird electric school bus order, the district will maintain a bus fleet of approximately 70 vehicles. The new zero-emission school buses will travel nearly 1,400 miles each school day, as they transport 500 students to and from schools.

“This is more than just adding new buses — it’s about doing what’s right for our kids and our community,” said Dr. Jermall D. Wright, Little Rock School District superintendent. “We’re proud to introduce Blue Bird’s electric school buses as a step toward a cleaner, healthier future. Every mile these buses travel means less pollution, cleaner air, and a stronger commitment to the well-being of our students and the neighborhoods we serve.”

The district is commissioned charging infrastructure designed and implemented by Entegrity Energy Partners, with technology support from The Mobility House, which can keep the buses running in the event of power outages. 

According to The Mobility House, the new charging installation features a technological solution that will provide a backup power supply to keep buses running during grid disruptions through the company's ChargePilot charge management system.

“With this investment, Little Rock School District has established itself as a national leader in the future of student transportation,” Gregor Hintler, CEO of The Mobility House North America, said. 

“This project shows that with strategic planning, school districts can dramatically improve health, sustainability, and reliability while staying fiscally responsible — in this case, saving LRSD more than $100,000 every year in fuel costs,” Parker Higgs, Arkansas director at Entegrity Energy Partners, said. “LRSD’s leadership is proof of what’s possible.”

Little Rock School District Receives $9.8 Million EPA Grant

The district received a $9,875,000 grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program to purchase its Blue Bird electric school bus fleet. The purchase was made through Blue Bird’s authorized school bus dealer, Central States Bus Sales in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Arkansas Times reported in mid-2024 that First Student, operating 171 buses in total for Little Rock students, also received $8.6 million in funding from the EPA in a random lottery of applicants. At the time of reporting, over 50 electric school buses were planned to join the district's operations in late 2025, which has now become a reality. 

According to a Blue Bird release, the EPA has already awarded nearly $3 billion through the landmark bipartisan initiative. The program to date will enable more than 1,300 school districts nationwide to replace old diesel buses with nearly 9,000 electric and low emission vehicles.

Little Rock School District is in a position to lower its operating expenses through replacing diesel with electric school buses, which could reduce fuel and vehicle maintenance costs. According to Blue Bird, some school districts have reported paying 19 cents per mile in energy costs for electric buses compared to fuel costs of up to 79 cents per mile for their diesel buses.

“We are pleased that Little Rock School District continues to place its trust in Blue Bird to help the school district shift to clean student transportation,” said Albert Burleigh, vice president of North America bus sales at Blue Bird Corporation. “For more than 25 years, the school district has relied on Blue Bird and our local dealer partner to meet its school bus and service needs. We look forward to helping LRSD expand its school bus fleet with safe, reliable, and environmentally-friendly vehicles.”