COLTON, Calif. — A school district here will soon have two electric school buses operating on its routes. 

Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD) has taken delivery of two electric Type C Starcraft eQuest XL school buses from Creative Bus Sales Inc. that are powered by all-electric powertrains from Motiv Power Systems. The buses are certified for operation by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and will be deployed on routes in the next few weeks, according to Motiv Power Systems. Creative Bus Sales will provide service support.

“We’re proud to be building a future with Creative Bus Sales and CJUSD,” said Jim Castelaz, CEO of Motiv Power Systems. “As a father, I’m thrilled that Motiv can help families, disadvantaged communities, and schools access zero-emission solutions that protect our children from harmful, cancer-causing pollutants.”

Funded in part by a grant through the California Energy Commission and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Motiv buses are powered by the company’s all-electric powertrain. The school buses feature flexible seating, support wheelchair access, and can be configured to accommodate up to eight wheelchairs for routes with special-needs students. Built on Ford’s F59 chassis, the buses provide a maximum capacity of 48 passengers and a range of up to 85 miles on a single charge, according to Motiv Power Systems.

“The Motiv electric powertrain is giving Creative’s eQuest XL school bus unprecedented performance previously uncharacteristic of electric buses,” said Joe Angeli of Creative Bus Sales. “The hill-climbing power and acceleration provided by the electric powertrain gives these buses a driving experience consistent with standard buses, creating a safer driving environment for the buses and the children they transport.”

Motiv Power Systems has earned Ford’s electric-Qualified Vehicle Modifiers program approval of its all-electric powertrain, according to the company. In addition to the Type C buses at CJUSD, Motiv Power Systems delivered the first Type A bus operating in New York and has had Type A buses running in the Kings Canyon Unified School District in California since 2014.

CJUSD’s buses will join 13 Motiv-powered buses headed to Sacramento and four on the road in the San Joaquin Valley.