Belmont received a $1.8 million grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MCEC) to help fund electric school buses, according to a release from MCEC.
The grant is part of the fourth round of the state’s School Bus Deployment Program, an initiative that aims to support communities putting modern electric school buses on the road. Belmont was one of six school districts and private transportation providers to receive funds.
“We’re helping school districts upgrade their buses and give our kids the best,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “By electrifying school buses, we’re reducing pollution and making transportation more affordable for schools.”
Currently, diesel-powered school buses make up over 90% of school bus fleets across the country, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
According to a December 2025 presentation given Director of Finance Anthony DiGologero to the Belmont School Committee, upon signing a 10-year electrification contract with Highland Fleet, the district plans to start with “at least” three electric buses in September 2026, although district officials said it could be as many as five buses. At the end of the contract, it’s planned that all Belmont school buses will be electric.
“The grant funding that we’ve received so far has made these vehicles comparable to the pricing we’ve been paying with diesel buses,” said DiCologero.
DiCologero noted that there are “a lot of startup costs” when it comes to shifting from diesel to electric buses, including charging infrastructure and procuring a charging site in and near Belmont.
However, compared to diesel buses, EVs can offer school districts overall savings due to reduced costs for energy and greater energy efficiencies, according to MassDOT. An emissions analysis by MassDOT showed emissions would “generally decline” with the use of electric bus fleets compared to diesel bus fleets.
“I think the School Committee has been wanting the district to move toward EVs for many different reasons, if nothing else than it’s good for students [and] it’s good for our community,” said School Committee Chair Meghan Moriarty.
According to the district, Highland will use the grant funds to acquire electric buses and charging infrastructure.
