SELMA, Texas — Pupil transportation officials checked out the latest lineup of Blue Bird school buses at an event held here last week.

Transportation directors from local districts and other decision-makers came to the Retama Park race track for the “Blue Bird Experience,” held by Selma-based dealership Rush Bus Centers.

On display were Blue Bird’s Vision Type C and All American Type D school buses, as well as Micro Bird’s Type A buses, with engine offerings including diesel, gasoline, and propane. Attendees were able to ride and drive all of the buses at the event.

“The event was a huge success, providing school district officials the opportunity to understand the latest in Blue Bird emissions and safety technology,” said Mark Terry, chief commercial officer of Blue Bird Corp. “It also gave attendees the chance to speak with local elected officials and representatives from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality about what is important to their transportation departments, especially those still running older diesel buses that need replacement.”

The event comes as Texas is considering how to spend its share of funding from the Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust, which will provide the state with at least $209 million for projects to curb nitrogen oxides.

“I can’t conceive of a more appropriate or cost-effective use of Texas’ share of the Volkswagen settlement money than to utilize it to help reduce emissions from the school buses that transport our Texas schoolchildren,” state Rep. Tony Dale said. “I urge the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Governor Abbott to support Texas’ continued transition to a better air quality future by using these funds to help replace older, dirty school buses with new clean buses that will help minimize exposure of children to potentially harmful yet easily avoidable toxins.”

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is accepting comments as it develops a plan for the state's VW mitigation funding. For more information, go here.

In addition to the models showcased at the event in Selma, the Blue Bird Vision and All American and the Micro Bird G5 are also newly available as electric models.