Highland Electric Fleets Going Into Service in Boise
Quieter Highland electric school buses now part of the morning commute in Boise.
The Boise School District will launch eight new IC Buses with Highland Electric fleets for electric school buses in the 2026–27 school year. The buses will operate with new charging infrastructure and support from Durham School Services and Highland Electric Fleets.
At first glance, eight buses may not sound like a transportation revolution. However, this project matters because it places children’s health at the center of fleet electrification.
The buses will produce no tailpipe emissions while operating. Therefore, students, families, drivers, and school staff should experience less exposure to diesel exhaust around bus stops and loading zones.
That is the most important benefit.
Boise’s Highland Electric school buses received $2.76 million in federal support
With Highland Electric, Boise School District received $2.76 million through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program.
That funding helped pay for the eight electric buses and their supporting charging infrastructure. In other words, federal funding moved the project beyond planning and into daily service.
The EPA created the Clean School Bus Program to help school districts replace older, more polluting buses. The program supports zero-emission electric buses as well as other cleaner transportation options.
Boise’s award shows why that the Highland Electric investment matters locally. It turns a national clean transportation program into something students can see and experience every school day.
Superintendent Wendy Johnson described the launch as an investment in modernizing student transportation and building a more sustainable future for the community.
She also pointed to the educational opportunity. The buses can help connect sustainability with student learning, rather than keeping environmental education limited to a textbook or presentation.
That approach makes sense. Students can learn about electricity, air quality, energy storage, and climate solutions by observing the vehicles that carry them to school.
Diesel exhaust does not belong in a school loading zone says Highland Electric
Diesel school buses have served communities for decades. They also release pollutants that can harm children’s developing lungs.
The EPA says children face greater risks from air pollution because their respiratory systems are still developing. Children also breathe more rapidly than adults. As a result, they can inhale more pollution relative to their body size.
Diesel exhaust contains fine particles and gases that can irritate the lungs. It can also worsen asthma and other respiratory conditions.
The problem becomes especially visible during pickup and drop-off. Buses often idle near schools, sidewalks, and crowded loading zones. Exhaust can collect around the vehicle and nearby people.
Electric buses remove that tailpipe source during operation. They do not burn diesel at the bus stop. They do not create a visible exhaust plume while transporting students.
That does not mean electric buses eliminate every air-quality concern. Electricity generation still has an environmental footprint, depending on the local grid. However, moving emissions away from crowded school zones remains a direct health improvement.
It is also an improvement that children can understand immediately: no diesel smell, less engine noise, and cleaner air near the bus.
Eight buses can create a larger community impact with Highland Electric Fleets
Boise School District serves approximately 21,650 students across 33 elementary schools, eight junior high schools, and six senior high schools.
The new Highland Electric School buses will not replace every diesel vehicle in that system. Nevertheless, they create a practical starting point for a larger transition.
Highland Electric Fleets
Highland Electric Fleets says replacing just five diesel school buses with electric buses can reduce the risk of pediatric asthma for approximately 1,500 students. That figure comes from Highland’s Brian Buccella, chief commercial officer.
Health outcomes will depend on routes, exposure levels, bus use, and other local conditions. Still, the underlying logic is clear. Replacing more diesel buses means reducing more tailpipe emissions where children live, learn, and travel.
Furthermore, electric buses can help normalize clean transportation for an entire generation. Students see the technology every day. They can ask how the batteries work, why the buses charge overnight, and where the electricity comes from.
That kind of everyday exposure can make clean technology feel practical instead of distant.
Highland Electric Fleets have fewer moving parts can mean lower maintenance costs
Health is the strongest argument for electric school buses. However, operating costs also matter to public school districts.
Highland electric buses use electric motors instead of diesel engines. They do not need engine oil changes. They also have fewer moving parts than conventional diesel buses.
Over time, that simpler drivetrain may reduce maintenance requirements. It may also lower certain operating costs.
The savings will not appear in every category. Electric buses still require tires, brakes, inspections, battery systems, charging equipment, and trained technicians. Charging infrastructure also requires planning and maintenance.
Even so, regenerative braking can reduce wear on friction brakes. Meanwhile, electric drivetrains can reduce the number of engine-related service needs.
For a district managing a large fleet, predictable maintenance can make budgeting easier. That is especially important when transportation departments must balance safety, staffing, fuel, repairs, and route reliability.
Highland’s Electrification-as-a-Service model lowers the barrier
Buying electric buses is only one part of fleet electrification. Districts must also plan depot upgrades, install chargers, coordinate with utilities, train drivers, and prepare maintenance teams.
That process can overwhelm a school system without electric fleet expertise.
Highland Electric Fleets supported Boise and Durham throughout the project. Its role included vehicle and charging infrastructure deployment, as well as long-term electric fleet management.
The company uses an Electrification-as-a-Service, or EaaS, model. According to Highland, the model can bundle financing, incentives, site design, vehicle and charger procurement, utility coordination, training, charging management, electricity, and operational support into one service.
That structure can reduce the upfront burden for school districts. Instead of purchasing and managing every piece alone, a district can work with a provider that handles the transition as a long-term service.
Highland describes the model as a way to electrify fleets with no upfront costs and one fixed payment. Actual terms will vary by project, funding award, route needs, and contract structure. Still, the model addresses one of the biggest obstacles to electric school bus adoption: limited capital and limited staff capacity.
Consequently, more districts may be able to consider electric buses instead of waiting until they can build an entire program in-house.
These buses could become energy assets
School buses spend much of the day parked. That schedule creates an opportunity beyond transportation.
Highland has pioneered vehicle-to-grid technology with electric school buses. V2G allows a vehicle battery to send electricity back to the grid through bidirectional charging equipment.
The Boise project announcement does not say that all eight buses will immediately provide V2G services. However, the technology shows where electric school bus fleets could go next.
A typical school bus charges when it returns to the depot. With smart charging, the fleet can charge during lower-demand periods. With bidirectional charging, compatible buses could eventually send energy back during periods of high demand.
That could help utilities manage peak loads. It could also create a potential revenue stream for fleet operators.
School buses are well suited to this role because their schedules are predictable. They generally leave in the morning, return later, and remain parked for long periods.
In addition, their large batteries can store meaningful amounts of energy. Highland’s V2G work in other communities demonstrates how buses can support grid flexibility when they are not carrying students.
For more on this technology, read the Green Living Guy’s guide to using bidirectional charging to turn an EV into a power plant.
Boise already has a broader sustainability plan
The electric buses do not stand alone. They build on Boise School District’s existing sustainability work.
BSD has identified energy conservation, water stewardship, waste reduction, and environmental education as priorities. The district also has a Board of Trustees-adopted commitment to clean energy.
Across its schools, BSD has pursued energy-efficiency projects, solar energy, and geothermal energy initiatives. Those efforts give students more ways to connect classroom lessons with real infrastructure.
The buses add transportation to that learning environment.
A science class could discuss battery storage and electricity demand. A math class could examine route efficiency or energy use. A civics class could explore how federal grants support local projects.
Most importantly, the buses can help students see sustainability as a series of practical decisions. Cleaner transportation is not only a distant goal. It is a vehicle parked at the school.
What other school districts can learn from Boise
Boise’s project offers several useful takeaways for districts considering electric buses.
Start with health
Children spend significant time inside or near school buses. Districts should evaluate diesel exposure, idling, and air quality alongside fuel and maintenance costs.
Look for federal and state funding
The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program helped Boise secure $2.76 million. Funding programs can change, so districts should monitor official EPA announcements and prepare fleet information in advance.
Treat charging as part of the project
A bus purchase without a charging plan creates operational risk. Districts must consider electrical service, charger locations, utility coordination, parking, route schedules, and backup procedures.
Consider a service model
EaaS providers can help districts that lack the staff or capital to manage electrification alone. The key is to examine the contract carefully. Districts should understand payment terms, maintenance responsibilities, electricity costs, performance guarantees, and end-of-contract obligations.
Use the buses as teaching tools
Students can become part of the transition. Tours, classroom projects, energy monitoring, and driver conversations can turn new buses into long-term environmental education resources.
A quiet but important beginning
Boise’s eight electric school buses will not solve every transportation or climate challenge. They will not replace the district’s entire fleet overnight.
Nevertheless, they represent a meaningful step.
The buses reduce tailpipe emissions around students. They may lower maintenance needs. They create hands-on learning opportunities. They also show how federal funding, school leadership, transportation providers, and clean technology companies can work together.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on August 26 at the Boise School District transportation facility on West Gowen Road. Now, the more important test begins on the road.
Every morning, these buses will carry students to school without burning diesel along the way. That is a practical climate action. More importantly, it is an investment in the air children breathe.
