Boston Globe, August 2022
One morning in April, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gathered students, city workers, and TV cameras in a school garage in Roxbury to announce the city would replace its entire school bus fleet with electric vehicles by 2030, starting with 20 for this academic year, and launch a training program for EV maintenance.
For a new mayor elected on a platform of environmental justice, it was much to brag about: a step toward decreasing climate-warming pollution within Boston and creating green jobs, with a training program housed at a school that serves mostly students of color.
But some were skeptical. Just minutes after Wu’s enthusiastic presentation,the director of maintenance for the city’s vehicle fleet, Bill Coughlin, stepped to the podium and warned,“2030 might be a stretch.” He turned to look at the mayor, who laughed behind her mask and churned her arms with a “let’s get to it!” cheer.
