When the new school year starts, Miami-Dade schoolkids will be riding on 255 new buses that are environmentally friendly and fuel efficient. Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho, Assistant Superintendent Marcos Moran and bus trainer Betty Harrell talk about the changes.
Kids in Miami-Dade will have something extra to be excited about when the new school year starts: a fleet of new buses.
The 255 new buses, which will replace some of the oldest ones in the fleet that date back to the mid-90s, look pretty much the same on the inside and outside.
But one of the more significant features, and a huge goal the Miami-Dade School District wanted to meet, was for the new buses to be environmentally friendly and fuel efficient.
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"They will emit zero carbon monoxide emissions,” Miami-Dade School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. “They are environmentally conscious buses, in fact the way that they tested the get about nine miles as opposed to the roughly four gallons that the old buses used to."
The move will save the schools $1.4 million, according to officials.
“Incredible savings to the school district,” said Marcos Moran, District Assistant Superintendent. “We use a lot of fuel obviously and when you improve your fuel efficiency by 40 percent it's quite a savings to the school district.”
Among the new features inside are color-coded seat belts and three air conditioners inside – one in the back, one in the middle and another in the front.
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