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For over a century, First Student has been North America’s largest and most trusted provider of student transportation, ensuring students start and end their day with the safest, most reliable ride to school. With a fleet of over 45,000 buses, the company is now leading the charge in transforming school transportation through electrification, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology.
Recently surpassing five million electric miles and launching innovative solutions like First Charge—an above-ground charging system designed to overcome the industry’s biggest hurdle: the lack of charging infrastructure—First Student is not only reducing emissions but also setting new standards for safety and efficiency.
We recently connected with Kevin Matthews, Head of electrification to explore First Student’s journey toward a cleaner, more sustainable future. Matthews highlights their achievements, the challenges they’ve tackled, and their ambitious vision for electrification in student transportation.
Do you mind sharing a brief overview of First Student?
First Student is North America’s largest and most-chosen student transportation provider. For more than 100 years, we’ve provided students with the safest ride to school, so that when they start and end their day, they have a reliable and safe experience that sets them up for success in the classroom and beyond. With a fleet of over 45,000 buses and a commitment to innovation, we’re transforming school transportation through electrification, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology.
What are the biggest challenges you’re seeing in the electric school bus industry?
The biggest challenge across the entire electric vehicle market is the lack of charging infrastructure. To make an electric school bus perform, you need to have the right infrastructure in place and most regions in the U.S. aren’t there yet. Many school districts have not yet been able to figure out that piece of the equation, and we hear over and over again that they have to abandon rebates and funds available to them because the charging infrastructure is too costly, complex, or time intensive. Therefore, our team developed First Charge, an above-ground charging solution designed by operators, for operators, revolutionizing the transition to electric fleets.
Related: First Student Leads with 5M Electric Miles
First Student has been leading the charge in school bus electrification. What are the key milestones you’ve achieved recently?
We just recently surpassed five million electric miles driven, just months after reaching the four-million-mile mark, and are rapidly driving toward six million miles. This milestone further proves our success in the rapid acceleration of school bus electrification – something I’m personally very proud of. Every electric mile means reduced emissions, cleaner air, and a safer ride for students, reinforcing our commitment to a more sustainable future. This remarkable progress is largely credited to First Charge, our innovative above ground electric vehicle charging solution. First Charge eliminates the need for extensive underground wiring and fixed installations, reducing installation costs, and enabling rapid deployment even in cold weather climates. It also provides a cost-effective solution for future expansion and can charge a variety of electric fleet options.
We also recently launched a new technology platform called HALO to transform the way school districts, parents, and drivers manage, and experience student transportation. With HALO, we’ve been able to integrate every aspect of First Student’s operations, from vehicle telematics and maintenance to driver recruiting, training, navigation and routing, offering a unified, real-time 360-degree view of each vehicle, setting a new standard in the industry. This technology is meant to utilize the advanced analytics and data collected to provide advanced, actionable insights that improve district efficiency, while setting the highest standards to keep every student safe and have an enjoyable transportation experience.
You recently launched First Charge, can you explain how it works?
First Charge is a technology that we’re really proud of. It’s an above ground charging solution that was designed to increase access and simplify the electrification process, eliminating the need for time-intensive and cost-prohibitive installation, even in cold weather climates. First Charge is also capable of supporting other last mile services for light, medium, and heavy-duty electric vehicles. With the capacity to power up to 80 electric vehicles per modular power hub, it offers a flexible, future-proof solution that scales with fleet growth. Our goal with First Charge is to create a flexible, expansion-ready charging solution that can save districts up to 30% on construction costs allowing them to easily scale their infrastructure. It’s a game changer for the industry because it allows school districts to focus on what matters most – educating students. For districts who want to or need to electrify their fleets without spending years building infrastructure, this approach is faster, more affordable, and handles expansion better than existing systems. It works by pairing with a comprehensive energy management solution that handles energy procurement, charge management, and fleet maintenance. This allows us to manage the charging and removes the complexities from the district’s workload. Our solution is built in an ISO 19001 certified facility, where it is rigorously tested before delivery, ensuring it is ready to be used upon installation. We recently partnered with Con Edison to launch a demo project to bring a vehicle-to-everything smart energy hub to Brooklyn, NY, further demonstrating how we can integrate different charging capabilities to support the transition to electric school bus fleets.
What is the main goal of the partnership with Con Edison in Brooklyn? How does this fit into First Student’s broader electrification strategy?
We partnered with Con Edison to demonstrate how First Charge can integrate with renewable and stationary storage energy solutions to power electric school buses more efficiently. This allowed us to explore innovative ways to boost local grids while simultaneously storing and generating clean energy and then delivering that power at moments when and where it’s needed most. We can also opt to discharge extra power stored in the batteries of the buses during hot summer months when buses are idle, and energy needs solar. Being able to control when the vehicles charge or tap the extra power to relieve grid stress is a game changer. Our project with Con Edison is a great example of how we’re delivering innovative solutions to meet a critical need in many communities: affordable, clean electric that expands the capabilities of existing power grids. By integrating renewable energy with our charging infrastructure, we’re helping school districts reduce and put more electric buses on the road, creating a safer, more enjoyable ride that’s healthier for kids and better for the environment.
What’s the next big thing for First Student in your electrification efforts?
Our next big focus is to continue expanding our zero-emission fleet and accelerating the deployment of First Charge. By working closely with our partners and school districts, we are committed to leading the way toward a cleaner, more sustainable future and provide an exceptional experience to school districts, students, and families we serve. In 2025, First Student will continue to drive innovation, advancing our mission to transition 30,000 diesel buses to electric by 2035, which will reduce 1,620,000,000 pounds of greenhouse gases. With our electric mileage increasing rapidly, we are on track to reach six million miles in the next few months.
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