According to Thomas Built vice president Ken Hedgecock, LAUSD is committed to environment’s protection and its strategies include a selection of school buses that incorporate clean-fuel technology. “We welcome this opportunity to demonstrate our shared commitment to environmental stewardship and enhanced passenger safety,” he stated thorugh a company press release.
For his part, Buswest president Jim Bernacchi pointed out that his company is pleased to have the chance of helping LAUSD with its ongoing fleet replacement program. “Replacing their older school buses with clean burning CNG powered school buses is good for the students, the environment and the economy,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that all 130 of the environmentally-friendly buses are being equipped with SafeGuard® seats, a product of IMMI (a worldwide company that develops quality safety systems for the heavy truck, off-highway, child seating, among other things). On the other hand, these buses clearly meet California emission standards, which are near zero and have been 2010 compliant since 2007.
LAUSD is comprised of eight local districts, consisting of approximately 1,044 K–12 schools in Los Angeles County. With over 678,000 K–12 students, it is the largest unified district in the state of California. Thomas Built Buses -a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America- is a leading manufacturer of school buses in the country, with more than one-third of the market.
