Boston Launches EV Training at Madison Park, Plans 20-Bus Electric School Bus Pilot

BOSTON — July 19, 2026 — Boston announces electric vehicle training program and 20-bus school bus pilot at Madison Park. Mayor Michelle Wu joined cabinet chiefs and Boston Public Schools officials at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to announce that 10 city mechanics from the Public Works Department and Boston Police Department will be trained and certified to teach electric vehicle service and repair in a train-the-trainer model, bringing EV curriculum to Madison Park, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, and adult learners beginning in fall 2022. Boston Public Schools will deploy up to 20 electric school buses in the 2022-2023 school year at roughly $350,000 per unit — approximately $7 million total — using funds already within the BPS transportation budget, with a request for information going out this month. The city operates about 700 buses, half still diesel, against a stated goal of full electrification by 2030. Chief of Streets Yasha Franklin-Hodge noted Boston already has 66 public EV charging plugs at 13 city lots. Bill Coughlin, director of Public Works central fleet maintenance and credited as the program's key architect, acknowledged the 2030 target: "It might be a stretch, but we will try."