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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Green New Deal is taking shape in Boston, as the City introduced that Boston Public Schools will purchase twenty electric school buses as part of a pilot program for the 2022-2023 school year.
The City of Boston announced the launch of the "train the trainer" program, which will allow City management teams to train students at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School on how to maintain the electric vehicles through the school's Automotive Technology Program.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says the program aims to enlarge Boston's green jobs workforce, and is a step towards a full electrification of the City's school bus fleet by 2030. City officials say that the buses will replace the current diesel vehicles in use over the course of the next eight to ten months.
"It's a good opportunity for us to see what's going to be going on in the future, especially since we're working on it now as high school seniors," said one student at Madison Park Tech.
According to the City, Boston Public Schools has 739 buses, which make up about 11 percent of Boston's municipal emissions.
“I am excited that our students at Madison Park are so integral to this new initiative and will have the opportunity to learn skills and make connections that will support them as they pursue careers," said BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.
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Electric vehicle maintenance will become part of Madison Park Tech's core curriculum in the Automotive Technology program in the fall of this year, Boston officials say. Recharge Boston, the City's zero emission vehicle program, aims to implement public EV charging stations within a ten-minute walk of every household. Currently there are 66 active charging stations citywide, officials said.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports.
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