A bus from Lion Electric, acquired by Winthrop schools under the federal Clean School Bus Program, is parked near Winthrop Middle School in December 2023. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file photo

WINTHROP — Electric school buses supplied through a federal grant to several Maine school districts continue to have problems, school officials say.  

The debate over the safety of the buses came up again at Winthrop Public Schools, which has four of the vehicles, after the Canadian manufacturer  Lion Electric recalled a part on the buses.  

It’s the latest issue the buses have had, as over the past year the Maine Department of Education urged the schools to sideline the buses. However, because of the conditions of the grant, the school district must continue using the buses or may be required to repay the grant amount.  

A majority of the eight school districts where Lion Electric school buses are stationed across the state continue to experience issues with the vehicles.

“We would hit a bump and the whole bus would shut off,” said Chris Fanelli, the facilities and transportation director for Camden-based Five Town Community School District. “That was around the time the state grounded all of its vehicles. It was because of that.”

ONGOING PROBLEMS

Lion Electric is a Quebec-based commercial vehicle company that supplied eight school districts across the state with its 2023 electric bus.

In July, the company recalled a part on the electric school buses. By mid-September, the Winthrop Public Schools were still waiting for the part to arrive from Lion Electric to fix the buses.

The recall was the latest issue the buses have had in the two years since the district received four electric school buses through a federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program.

To ensure the buses are safe to transport students now that the repair with the recalled parts is completed, Winthrop’s Interim Superintendent Becky Foley urged the district’s transportation department to test drive the buses for two weeks. The end of the two-week period was Nov. 25, but the Winthrop School Board decided Nov. 20 to keep the buses off the roads until the board — and community — can get more answers on their status.

A Canadian news outlet reported last week that Lion Electric is considering selling the company. The company has reportedly lost $131 million over four business quarters and laid off 520 employees, or around 40% of the workforce. 

Patrick Gervais, a spokesperson for the company, declined to answer questions, but directed a reporter to two school districts that are “very happy” with their electric buses: Five Town Community School District and Bingham-area Maine School Administrative District 13.

Superintendent Maria Libby of Five Town School District said they, too, have had issues with their buses, but Superintendent Sandra MacArthur of the Bingham-area schools said the district is satisfied with its electric school bus. 

“It has performed well and met all of our expectations. We have had no issues. It is my understanding that our bus specifications are different than the Winthrop buses. Our buses have air brakes (non-electric) which are the same type of brakes that all of our buses have,” MacArthur said, adding that the district uses the buses only for short-distance trips.  

In the two years that Five Town Community School District has had one Lion Electric school bus, Fanelli estimates the issues collectively made the bus inoperable for at least two months.

The school district has a mechanic on site who can help with bus fixes not related to the power of the vehicle; Lion Electric takes care of any electrical fixes, Fanelli said. Lion Electric usually sends someone within five business days to fix the problems, he said, but until then, the bus can’t run. 

Five Town Community School District will receive another electric bus through the next round of funding with the EPA grant, but it will be a Thomas Built Bus. Chelsea-based Regional School Unit 12 received two electric school buses this spring from Thomas. 

This Dec. 8, 2023, photo shows the logo of a Lion Electric bus owned by Winthrop Public Schools. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“We haven’t had nearly the problems Winthrop has had and others who have Lion Electric buses, but it hasn’t been a flawless timeframe since we owned it,” Fanelli said.

Yarmouth School Department Transportation Director Chris Storer said the district’s two electric buses have not been on the road yet this school year, and that the district is still experiencing problems like those experienced in Winthrop. Storer’s two Lion Electric buses have displayed warning messages about high-voltage failure, and others. . 

Normally when someone buys a vehicle with problems, they are protected under the “Lemon Law,” Storer said, but  the law does not apply to commercial vehicles. 

If school districts choose to send the vehicles back, the districts might be obligated to pay back the grant amount, which for Winthrop, with four buses, is more than $1.5 million. 

“We honestly don’t know at this time,” Storer said of Yarmouth’s plans moving forward with the electric buses. “We are still trying to explore that. We have great faith in electric vehicles, but it’s all about researching and doing more work so we can move forward with a brighter future and more successful attempt at making our fleet a green fleet.” 

CLEAN SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM 

When asked if other schools nationally have experienced problems with the Lion Electric school buses, a spokesperson from the EPA said the department is not allowed to share details about other school districts that have partnered with Lion Electric, and directed the Kennebec Journal to Lion Electric.  

The EPA spokesperson, Shayla Powell, said grant recipients are required to follow the program requirements, and said the EPA meets with the bus manufacturers, including Lion Electric, to discuss and address common challenges with the product. 

“In order to respect the privacy of other selectees, EPA is not able to share details about other school districts that have been partnering with Lion Electric,” Powell said. “Lion Electric is in a better position to answer your questions as they are engaged on a regular basis with product support and maintenance.” 

The Maine Department of Education, which urged school districts to take the buses off the roads in February, does not track buses purchased through the EPA grant or complaints from school districts, said Chloe Teboe, director of communications for the DOE. 

“The extent of the Maine DOE’s involvement in this program includes helping SAUs to assess their readiness for electric vehicles. However, because of the local control factor of public education in Maine, SAUs make their own decisions about whether they purchase electric school buses — and, if they choose to do so, what kind of bus they purchase from the four companies listed in the state’s master agreement,” Teboe said.

The Clean School Bus Program prioritized school districts across the country to receive free electric school buses in exchange for taking a diesel bus off the road. The program launched in 2022 and aims to reduce emissions while helping school districts reduce operating costs. 

A law passed in 2022 sets a goal for 75% of new school bus acquisitions in Maine to be zero emissions by 2035.