Kelowna will be the first school district in BC to get a diesel-electric hybrid school bus, part of a provincial government plan to get almost 90 cleaner school buses online.

Not all the buses in the program will be diesel-electric hybrids, the program also includes propane and hydrogen injection systems.

Earlier this week Education Minister Shirley Bond made an announcement in Kelowna though the government’s plans for the hybrid buses where unveiled in mid-December.

The hybrid-electric school bus, the first of its kind in Canada according to the manufacturer, combines a diesel engine with a battery-powered electric motor to run the vehicle. The batteries recharge when the brakes are applied.

“Hybrid vehicles produce fewer fumes while idling, and so that’s good for students who may be boarding or departing the bus,” said board of education chair Moyra Baxter. “We are excited to be the first school district in the country to operate with this new technology…”

source – BC government press release

Meanwhile, this week the Chilliwack BC School Board puts the wheels in motion to join Kelowna as one of the first school districts in to use the hybrid.

“We are one of four districts,”superintendent Corinne McCabe told the school board. “This is big first-step.”

Trustees approved a capital project bylaw Tuesday night. This makes the move to get the bus official at the board level. This bylaw finalizes the purchase of the 72-passenger bus.

Full story in the Chilliwack times

For a list of all the school districts getting funding for hybrid buses, see this government backgrounder.

For more on North America’s first diesel-electric hybrid, see the manufacturer’s web site or this PDF about the buses.