VW latest school bus order for 2,300 vehicles, all with Marcopolo bodies, takes numbers sold under the Caminho da Escola program in the last 15 years to over 27,000.

The two companies - who have already produced school buses on the Ford Class 4 chassis platform - will now start working with the GM 4500 as well; a cutaway van chassis best known as the basis for the ‘Silverado’ pickup truck range by Chevrolet.

Pegasus will build Type A school bus and shuttle bus bodies on the Z-19 cab-chassis platform, which is a medium-duty electric chassis manufactured by Zeus, and then sell them through Creative Bus Sales’s extensive sales network.

Navistar and Audi will develop advanced safety features for their respective vehicles, leveraging the connectivity features of the ‘C-2VX’, an onboard vehicular connectivity system developed by Commsignia.

The Lion Electric Co has received an order for 50 all-electric LionC school buses from Autobus Campeau in the province of Quebec, with deliveries to begin by the first quarter of 2023.

Greenpower Motor Co, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has launched a Type A battery electric school bus named Nano BEAST (Battery Electric Automotive School Transportation) for the US market. The firm claims the Nano BEAST is the only purpose-built zero-emission Type A school bus on the market. In addition, GreenPower claims that the vehicle will feature the largest standard battery pack for a Type A school bus on the market, providing up to 150 miles of range.

Macon, Georgia-based school bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corp has received the largest order of electric school buses in its history from Modesto City Schools in California. The order covers 30 units, enough to convert nearly half of the school district’s fleet to zero emission vehicles. Deliveries of the vehicles are scheduled for Q4 2022.

School bus builder Blue Bird Corp, based in Macon, Georgia, has made two appointments to its executive team, for the roles of Electrification and Chief Strategy Officer, and Vice President Global Supply Chain Management.

The FTA will award grants to public transport operators through two programmes designed to defray the cost of procuring low- and zero-emission buses.

BYD Inc, the US subsidiary of Shenzhen-based BYD Auto Co Ltd, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, has announced the launch of its Type A electric school bus for the North American market.

GreenPower Motor Co, based in Vancouver, Canada, has announced it plans to manufacture its range of all-electric school buses in Charleston, West Virginia, USA.

BAE Systems plc, headquartered in London and Farnborough, UK, has signed an agreement with Meritor Inc of Troy, Michigan, to jointly develop an integrated electric drivetrain for the commercial and defence sectors.