First electric bus in El Paso County now serving the Fountain-Fort Carson School District

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- A group of students at Fountain Middle School boarded the inaugural ride of the Fountain-Fort Carson School District's first electric bus Wednesday Morning.

The district hopes this electric bus, which was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and Colorado Office of Energy, will be the first of many.

"Our vision is to provide an opportunity for all elementary school-age kids to ride on the bus," said Robert Leach, Director of Transportation for the Fountain-Fort Carson School District. "Also, to weave and dovetail the electric bus into environmental ethics curriculum.

Even though students said they loved the new ride, it isn't replacing their usual bus. Leach says the district is going to use the new electric bus throughout the district for transportation and educational purposes.

"We're going to move it around the district so all students can experience it," said Leach.

Looking ahead, Leach said he is also excited about the ability to improve air quality for students by cutting down on diesel emissions.

"One of the greatest causes of absenteeism in our school-aged children is asthma," said Leach. "So reducing diesel emissions, anything we can do to clean up the air around our schools just helps with providing a safer environment for our students."

Still, the school district says they will conduct a cost analysis as they look at getting more electric buses in the future.