Virginia's Electric School Bus Milestone: 1.5 Million Zero-Emission Miles and Counting

Dominion Energy's utility-led electric school bus program — widely recognized as the largest program of its kind in the United States — recently surpassed 1.5 million zero-emission miles logged across the Commonwealth, in partnership with Thomas Built Buses and local school districts.

That milestone represents not just cleaner air for Virginia students, but also a significant demonstration that large-scale electric fleet transitions are operationally viable at the school district level.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is among the most visible participants in this transformation. As of fall 2025, the district had grown its electric bus fleet to 48 vehicles — adding 17 new units in a single procurement cycle. FCPS had previously been awarded federal funding to eventually reach 113 electric buses, though shifting federal budget conditions have created uncertainty around the remaining tranches. District officials and Dominion Energy Solutions are working to advance remaining projects ahead of the June 2026 incentive deadline.

The buses themselves — primarily Thomas Built's Jouley model, distributed through dealer Sonny Merryman Inc. — feature vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability, meaning they can return stored energy to the electrical grid during peak demand periods. This bidirectional charging capability effectively turns each school bus into a mobile battery asset, a feature that Dominion has highlighted as a key long-term value proposition for utility partnerships.

Beyond Fairfax, school districts across Hampton Roads, Richmond, and the Northern Neck have participated in various stages of the program, with rural electrification presenting both logistical challenges and significant air quality benefits for communities that have historically been underserved by clean transportation investments.

For transit agencies, the picture is similarly encouraging. WMATA has continued its electric bus procurement for routes serving Northern Virginia, while regional transit operators including GRTC in Richmond and Hampton Roads Transit are evaluating or actively piloting zero-emission bus technologies.

The road to full fleet electrification is long, but Virginia's school bus numbers demonstrate the journey is well underway.

Want to know which school districts near you are operating electric buses? Check out our Electric Transit Tracker for the latest fleet data across Virginia.