VIENNA, Va. — Back to school could one day be powered by batteries if a push by Northern Virginia moms gets a jolt.
"Fairfax County can become a big leader on this," Bobby Monacella, a mother of two, said.
Monacella helped form Mothers Out Front Fairfax County, which is lobbying Fairfax County Public Schools to get electric buses. The school system has one of the largest bus fleets in the country. It has 1,625 buses, county spokesman John Torre, said.
"Everyone is interested in this technology," Monacella said. "More than anything people are realizing that climate change is real, it is happening now, and we need to do something about it for our kids future as soon as possible."
Electric bus proponents say they're cheaper to operate in the long haul, but they're more expensive to buy. Each electric bus costs about $350,000 --about $100,000 cheaper than a diesel bus.
“I think that this is definitely coming, it’s just a matter of figuring out how we’re going to pay for it and moving forward," Monacella said.
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"FCPS recognizes the benefits in improving the environmental impact of our transportation services and is exploring with our county partners all feasible opportunities to add electric school buses to our fleet," Toore said.
Monacella’s moms are reaching out to bus manufacturers and public utilities to see if they'll foot the bill in hopes that future generations don’t have to.
"When our kids future relies on it, we have no choice but to move forward and make it happen," she said.