The first zero-emission, electric school bus in the Santa Ynez Valley arrived at Los Olivos Elementary School.
Parent and volunteer, Kathryn Rohrer said she spent hundreds of hours working to ensure the bus’ arrival on campus, and pretty soon, it will be picking her daughter Mimi up from school, and dropping her off at home.
“One of the reasons our daughter was so excited to come to Los Olivos was because they had a school bus,” Rohrer said.
However, she said the school’s previous diesel bus had been in service for many years, often getting pulled from routes for repair.
That’s why more than two and a half years ago, she spearheaded efforts to bring in a new, and improved bus for her daughter’s school.
“It is quiet, and smooth as anything compared to our old, diesel bus. It is air conditioned and it has Wi-Fi so our kids can do homework when they are on field trips,” she explained.
Rohrer says through her efforts of acquiring the new bus, she researched numerous grant programs, made connections with local agencies, and ultimately secured the necessary funding for its arrival.
Late last month, the school’s 30-seat electric bus, rolled onto campus for the first time.
“The bus is called ‘The Achiever.’ Our team achieves something great, and in return, we have ‘The Achiever’ standing right in front of you,” said Ray Vasquez, superintendent and principal to Los Olivos Elementary.
Vasquez says the capacity of ‘The Achiever' will be more than enough to provide rides for the 154 students who attend. While the school only requires a single bus for transportation to field trips and daily student drop-offs, Vasquez laughs that Los Olivos Elementary is the first school in California with a 100%, zero-emission bus fleet.
“Tons of hours, tons of emails, tons of texts, going back-and-forth. But, the ultimate result is right in front of us,” he said proudly.
He tells KSBY ‘The Achiever’ has a 110-mile radius, perfect for field trips across the Central Coast, adding that the two-plus year endeavor of finally bringing it to campus, wouldn’t have been possible without Kathryn Rohrer.
“I think that we do often think that we are just a little school in the middle of nowhere. It is a reflection of if you are committed to something and stick with it, and it means something to you, you can make a difference,” Rohrer said.
Meanwhile, Rohrer tells KSBY her daughter, Mimi, can’t wait for ‘The Achiever’s’ first ride.
“She is delighted it is here!”
Superintendent Vasquez says once ‘The Achiever’ is signed off by the CHP, it could begin picking up and dropping off students by the end of March.
