Lawrence Public Schools, its contractor NRT Bus Inc., EV infrastructure provider Zenobē, and partners today hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the deployment of 35 new electric school buses. 

Lawrence Public Schools deployed 25 new electric school buses, supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and 10 minibuses, supported by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The buses are based in Methuen.

The charging site was completed last summer and is being used to charge and store the 35 new electric buses. Electrified by National Grid and Liberty Utilities, the site provides a sustainable hub for recharging the electric batteries that power the new fleet to shuttle Merrimack Valley students and community members to and from school and other local activities. 

“As part of our ongoing commitment to reduce emissions and promote cleaner air for our students and schools, we are thrilled to announce the launch of this charging site to support our new electric fleet for Lawrence Public Schools,” said Scott Sheridan, senior VP of NRT Bus (a Beacon Mobility contractor). “We are grateful for the hard work and dedication of all our partners from the public and private sector who made this project possible and are helping us power this new fleet for the 2025 school year.” 

“We’re drawing on our global fleet electrification experience to bring clean transportation and its many health and climate benefits to NRT Bus, Beacon Mobility and Lawrence Public Schools. This is an excellent example of public-private partnership in action, and we believe projects like this can be as financially sustainable as they are environmentally sustainable and beneficial,” said Zenobē Executive Vice President of U.S. EV Sales and Marketing Maggie Clancy. 

Lawrence Public Schools deployed the 25 new electric buses as part of the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program in 2022. The school district serves 13,000 K-12 students. The 25 electric school buses alone are projected to reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 1.35 million pounds per year, equivalent to removing 136 gas-powered passenger cars off the road for one year. In addition, the district was awarded $1,670,000 under MassCEC’s ACT School Bus Deployment Program in 2023, which was used to fund the 10 minibuses.

Lawrence Public Schools Superintendent Ralph Carrero said the initiative is the power of public-private partnership at its best.

All vehicles were placed in service for the current 2025-25 school year.