BEMUS POINT — Following the receiving of a rebate award to help finance the transition to electric buses, Bemus Point Central School will be holding a tour of an electric bus this Wednesday.

The tour is the next step in keeping the Bemus Point community involved and informed as the school works towards making the state-required transition. The school recently received a 2023 EPA rebate award, which will allow the school to purchase two electric buses next year with no tax impact for the community. In order to keep this award though, they need to take steps to move forward before Nov 29, and this tour of an electric bus is the next step.

“We wanted to bring in an electric bus to give our community members an opportunity to see it up close and to ask questions,” Superintendent Joseph Reyda said. “Dwayne Dustin, our director of transportation, and representatives from Leonard Bus Company will be available from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bemus Point Bus Garage (42 Main Street) to explain how these vehicles work.”

A community vote is set for Sept 5 in order for the Bemus Point community to vote on allowing the school to move forward with a Bond Anticipation Note, allowing for coverage of the local cost of the grant and two buses. The bus tour is one of the ways Reyda said they are working to get the community informed on electric buses as much as they can before then.

“We feel that the best way to understand what an electric bus can do is to talk to the experts,” Reyda said. “We’re trying to create as many opportunities as possible for our community to see these new vehicles and to ask questions. It’s important that our community understand how we can finance this project with no additional tax increases. It’s also good to be able to know how an electric bus operates.”

Reyda reemphasized that the 2023 EPA rebate award gives the school district the opportunity to purchase two electric buses with no additional tax increases, and also provides a number of financial incentives that the school would not get otherwise. More events to help spread information on electric buses and the rebate award are scheduled in the coming months.

“We’re now in the process of setting up question and answer events at our local libraries,” Reyda said. “This will be occurring in August. We’re also going to be sending out frequent messages with our Facebook account to inform our community and to keep them up to date with upcoming events.”

Additionally, Reyda said all current bus drivers and substitute bus drivers have been invited to the electric bus visitation on Wednesday. He said that as they will be the drivers of the new buses the school wanted to give them the chance to sit behind the wheel and ask questions.