Superintendent of Schools Thomas Taylor sent a letter to the contractor who supplies Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) with electric buses Friday. In the letter, Taylor canceled an upcoming order for more buses from Highland Electric.
According to MCPS, the current order for 50 more EV school buses scheduled for July of this year will be the last delivery. The contract for 40 more EV buses scheduled for the 2026-2027 school year has been terminated. Highland will continue to service the MCPS EV bus fleet. By the end of summer MCPS will have 285 of the electric buses.
The letter cites several reasons for discontinuing the agreement with Highland. They include operational challenges like charging in colder weather and difficulties with parts. The needs of Special Education students for reliable transportation that can travel longer distances and concerns about the stability of the EV bus industry were also factors in the decision.
