Maryland's Largest School District
8301 Turkey Thicket Drive
Building A, First Floor
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
To schedule a
school outreach visit:
Sustainability Outreach Request Form
For questions or to report a sustainability concern:
240-740-3210
Sustainability@mcpsmd.org
Climate change and concerns about student and community health are driving school bus electrification mandates around the country, including in Maryland.
MCPS has the largest electric school bus fleet in the nation. Under Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, all new school bus purchases must be electric. Replacing traditional diesel buses cuts back on the 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel our fleet uses each school day, eliminating greenhouse gasses and harmful tailpipe emissions.
The project launched during the 2021-2022 school year with 25 electric buses based at the Bethesda Bus Depot, selected for its close access to electrical utility infrastructure (PEPCO substation).
Lessons learned from the Bethesda pilot helped streamline the installation of charging infrastructure and bus deployment across the county. Following the addition of 210 buses between 2022 and 2024, 235 electric buses now operate across all five MCPS bus depots: Bethesda, Clarksburg, Randolph, Shady Grove, and West Farm. Today, these buses provide cleaner, environmentally friendly transportation equitably to our students.
MCPS is also replacing some of its internal combustion engine fleet vehicles with efficient alternatives. Our current support fleet includes:
Six additional low-emission vehicles (4 PHEVs and 2 electric cargo vans) will be added to the fleet in FY26.
Through a partnership with PEPCO, MCPS installed public electric vehicle charging stations at the Carver Educational Service Center in April 2023, followed by Gaithersburg Middle School in September 2023. These pilot stations were installed at no cost to MCPS.
Drivers can find more than 500 public charging plugs across Montgomery County, including 100 DC fast chargers. Twenty-two EV charging stations are available at public parking facilities managed by the Division of Parking Management in Bethesda, Silver Spring and Wheaton.
For more information about the state of charging in Montgomery County, view the Charge Story Map here.
Explore public charging locations near you through the Alternate Fuels Data Center.
