Blue Bird Corporation donated an electric school bus to Hoop Bus, a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth programming and community engagement across North America. The zero-emission bus is equipped with basketball hoops at the front and back, making it an interactive mobile court.
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The bus will served youth in California. Hoop Bus operates six vehicles in cities across the United States, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Miami.
"We are pumped to add our first all-electric, zero-emission vehicle to the Hoop Bus fleet," says Hoop Bus executive director Dan Moroni. "This electric bus allows us to bring basketball-based programming to communities across California in a clean and quiet ride. As a vehicle of change, it will help us rebuild, empower and amplify communities through basketball."
In addition to the basketball hoops, Hoop Bus tricked out the interior by adding collaborative seating areas, storage spaces, flatscreen TVs and a basketball rack. The bus also has solar panels and will use clean energy to run the sound and entertainment system.
"We think it's a slam dunk to help Hoop Bus build better communities by bringing the game of basketball to people in need," says Phil Horlock, Blue Bird's president and CEO. "As an added plus, our all-electric bus generates zero emissions, protecting the health of riders, drivers and the community at large."
InCharge Energy, an EV charging solutions provider, donated a Level 2 AC charger to the organization, ensuring the bus is fully charged overnight. The donation includes a virtual site assessment and route planning consultation, charging hardware, and one year of InControl charge management and maintenance software and data plan.
