The Ritenour School District community celebrated the first arrivals of electric school buses on Feb. 4, 2025 at the district’s transportation depot at the Husky Support Center in Overland, MO. Ritenour currently has the first three electric (EV) school buses of a 24-EV bus fleet, thanks to a $9,495,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of its Clean School
Bus Program. With the 2024 federal grant, Ritenour expects to replace 24 diesel buses with EV buses. This is the largest EPA Clean School Bus grant given to a school district in the St. Louis area.
“Our mission at EM-ACT is to create jobs, cleaner air and advance vehicle technology, we’ve
accomplished that here today with this EPA grant,” said Kevin Herdler, executive director of Eastern Missouri Alliance for Clean Transportation. “This is a project that benefits the entire community and we are proud to be part of this initiative.”
Approximately 3,750 Ritenour students—slightly more than half of enrolled K-12 students—ride buses daily. However, due to the recently-announced pause on clean energy and other federal funding, Ritenour is unsure when it will receive the remaining 21 electric buses.
The three new EV buses are expected to run routes with students within the next few weeks. District funds have not been used for the new buses currently at the bus depot or for the charging stations. Money from the grant was used to pay for the first three buses that arrived
prior to the change in federal funding. The Feb. 4 festive celebration featured an onsite tour of Ritenour’s new electric school buses and recognition of all the partners who made the electric bus fleet possible for the Ritenour School District, including the EPA, Midwest Bus Sales, IBP, Ameren Missouri, Kaemmerlen Electric and the Eastern Missouri Alliance for Clean Transportation, which helped write the
grant.
Ritenour is one of only two St. Louis area school districts that were awarded an EPA Clean School Bus grant. Funds from the grant and the sale of 24 Ritenour diesel buses would cover the costs of the new electric fleet and the charging stations located at the bus depot. Student leaders and cheerleaders from Ritenour High School led the countdown with horns and cheers as Ritenour bus drivers and guests set off canisters of biodegradable confetti to celebrate the new electric buses.
“Our new electric school buses are a game-changer for our district,” Dr. Kilbride said. “They’re not just better for the environment, but they also provide a more comfortable, quieter ride for our students and drivers—and even for neighbors living near our bus depot. This is an exciting step forward, and we’re proud to lead the way in creating a healthier future for our community. It’s unfortunate that the future is unclear and if we will be able to receive additional EV buses that are ready for us. ”
The district plans to use the EV buses for local routes and keep four diesel buses for student sponsored trips that are outside the immediate area. The EV buses can run approximately 100 miles on a charge; Ritenour buses typically run about 30 miles per day for their routes. Charging stations have been installed at Ritenour’s bus depot, where the EV buses will be charged nightly.
Kilbride said in addition to the health benefits of no diesel emissions and the EV buses’ ability to provide a quieter more comfortable ride with air conditioning, he is excited about the cost- savings of the EV buses for the district. Once the district has its new fleet of electric buses, the savings are considerable.
“We expect to save more than $3.3 million by not buying new diesel buses to replace ourcurrent ones within the next five to eight years,” said Kilbride. “We project that the new EV fleet will provide at least a 50% savings on fuel and a 40% savings on maintenance and repairs. It makes us proud to be both good stewards of our taxpayers’ money and of our environment with these EV buses.”
Among those who celebrated the rollout of EV buses were: Ritenour board members, administrators, bus drivers and transportation staff, Ritenour High School students, civic leaders, community members and partners that made the project possible: Eastern Missouri Alliance for Clean Transportation, Midwest Bus Sales, Thomas Built Bus, Kaemmerlen Electric, Ameren Missouri and IBP.
