District unveils electric-bus plan and microgrid; partnership with LA28 offers student and driver opportunities
March 11, 2026 | Moreno Valley Unified, School Districts, California
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The Moreno Valley Unified Board heard a detailed transportation presentation that lays out a multi-year shift to zero-emission school buses, added parent communications and a planned new transportation yard with charging infrastructure.
Director of Transportation Jim Berles summarized the district effort under Assembly Bill 2933 (60% state reimbursement for qualifying home-to-school services), reported last year unduplicated ridership by student groups, and described a phased bus-replacement program that will bring the fleet to approximately 126 new buses over several phases. The district has secured more than $55 million in state and federal grant awards across phases already under contract or construction.
A central technical element is a microgrid at the bus yard incorporating solar panels and a multi-megawatt battery to power overnight charging; Mr. Berles said roughly 60% of charging energy for the new phase will be provided by on-site solar in normal daily operation, lowering the per-mile operating cost relative to current fossil-fuel buses. He provided comparative operating costs per mile and said projected cost-per-mile for electric operation is materially lower once the charging infrastructure and fleet are in place.
The plan also includes a parent mobile app (launched this year) that tracks student scans on/off buses and provides arrival-time alerts for curb-to-curb and general-ed riders. The app is already active with hundreds of parents enrolled, Berles said.
Separately, the district announced a partnership role with a contractor selected for LA28 Olympic transportation: Moreno Valley Unified is an official electric school-bus provider for the summer 2028 Games and will support transporting athletes, media and essential personnel. Mr. Berles said the district is exploring ways to provide busloads of students to attend the Games and will return with details about student eligibility and the logistics of school-based trips.
The board asked about public charging access at the proposed new yard and whether the district will charge for community use; staff said the district could set rates for outside use and that the yard charging would be a revenue opportunity to support transportation operations.
What happens next: the board received the transportation plan presentation and discussed financial and programmatic details; staff will continue the phased construction of charging infrastructure and return with elements requiring future board action, including any capital agreements for the new yard.
Director of Transportation Jim Berles summarized the district effort under Assembly Bill 2933 (60% state reimbursement for qualifying home-to-school services), reported last year unduplicated ridership by student groups, and described a phased bus-replacement program that will bring the fleet to approximately 126 new buses over several phases. The district has secured more than $55 million in state and federal grant awards across phases already under contract or construction.
A central technical element is a microgrid at the bus yard incorporating solar panels and a multi-megawatt battery to power overnight charging; Mr. Berles said roughly 60% of charging energy for the new phase will be provided by on-site solar in normal daily operation, lowering the per-mile operating cost relative to current fossil-fuel buses. He provided comparative operating costs per mile and said projected cost-per-mile for electric operation is materially lower once the charging infrastructure and fleet are in place.
The plan also includes a parent mobile app (launched this year) that tracks student scans on/off buses and provides arrival-time alerts for curb-to-curb and general-ed riders. The app is already active with hundreds of parents enrolled, Berles said.
Separately, the district announced a partnership role with a contractor selected for LA28 Olympic transportation: Moreno Valley Unified is an official electric school-bus provider for the summer 2028 Games and will support transporting athletes, media and essential personnel. Mr. Berles said the district is exploring ways to provide busloads of students to attend the Games and will return with details about student eligibility and the logistics of school-based trips.
The board asked about public charging access at the proposed new yard and whether the district will charge for community use; staff said the district could set rates for outside use and that the yard charging would be a revenue opportunity to support transportation operations.
What happens next: the board received the transportation plan presentation and discussed financial and programmatic details; staff will continue the phased construction of charging infrastructure and return with elements requiring future board action, including any capital agreements for the new yard.
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