Electric buses were supposed to save money for Maryland’s largest school district. But a new report by Montgomery County’s inspector general found they “led to millions of dollars in wasteful spending.”
Montgomery County Public Schools projected it would save 6,500 gallons of fuel per day and cut costs by 50% at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 326 electric buses in October of 2022.
Since MCPS entered into the over $168 million contract for the electric buses in 2021, the buses were consistently delivered to the system late.
The county’s Office of the Inspector General found that instead of the number of promised electric buses for FY2022 being delivered before the end of the school year’s first quarter, as contracted, dozens were not received by MCPS until after Christmas.
A similar picture emerged in FY2024, as 120 electric buses were scheduled for delivery. Some (37) arrived by the end of September, but most (69) were received sometime between October and the end of December. Fourteen more arrived between Jan. 1 and April 1.
The OIG said it also found “mechanical failures with many electric buses rendered them inoperable for extended periods.”
These mechanical and charging issues resulted in buses not being able to complete their routes 280 times from Feb. 10, 2022, to the end of March 2024. In more than half those cases, repairs were not completed within five working days. The average time it took to repair an electric bus was 13 days.
As a result, in October of 2023, the school board approved the school system’s request to buy “90 diesel school buses at a cost of $14,749,919 … in light of the electric bus shortfall,” according to the OIG report.
The late delivery of vehicles and repair issues entitled MCPS to impose penalties under the contract and recoup costs, but action was not exercised. The Inspector General’s investigation found nobody in MCPS senior management who could explain why those fees, estimated to be well north of $372,000, were not pursued.
In a statement to WTOP, Montgomery County Public Schools said it considers the OIG “an important partner” and “will take the necessary actions” to address the issues identified in the report.
“This includes implementing data tracking systems, enhancing management practices, and improving vendor communications and contracts,” the statement read. “We will continue to collaborate closely with the OIG throughout this process.”
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