MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The entire fleet of GreenPower Motor buses operated by Monongalia County Schools have been parked after an inspection by federal officials.
Monongalia County School Superintendent Eddie Campbell said the mechanical issues have been persisting for months, and the West Virginia-based company has done little to help.
The company came to South Charleston in 2022 with the promise of jobs and a durable, emission-free bus. After a pilot program at 15 school districts in the state, lawmakers approved $15 million to purchase the buses for select school districts. It is confirmed the buses in Kanawha and Monongalia Counties have parked after a visit from federal officials.
“Our entire fleet of electric buses have been out of commission due to mechanical issues that we were not able to get rectified through GreenPower Motor, the manufacturer out of South Charleston,” Campbell said.
Last month a team from the U.S. Department of Transportation came to Monongalia County to inspect the GreenPower Motor buses in their fleet. They inspected the buses and took the vehicle identification numbers of the GreenPower Motor buses when they left.
“At the conclusion of their investigation and examination of our buses, they told us those buses need to stay off the road and they cannot be used,” Campbell said.
Through use in Monongalia County, Campbell, the smaller version has developed brake system issues. Meanwhile, the larger versions have had some wiring issues and problems with emergency exit compliance. The issues have been described as a multitude of small problems that present bigger issues for daily operations.
“Some of the things I know we’re dealing with are brake systems that were overheating and there were seating issues on the inside of the bus,” Campbell said.
When efforts to work with GreenPower Motor failed, Campbell said they began a letter-writing campaign to local, state, and federal leaders representing West Virginia.
“We sent a letter to the governor’s office; we’ve sent a letter to the state treasurer’s office, the state attorney general, our senators Justice and Capito, and all of our representatives in Congress,” Campbell said.
During an earnings call in August 2024, chief executive of the company, Fraser Atkinson, remarked that one of the biggest questions he received at the time was, “Are you going to be around?” The statements showed the company had an operational loss of $18.6 million in 2024, and Atkinson said they would shift cost structures in an effort to focus on immediate sales opportunities to increase profitability.
“Here we are sitting with several of these buses that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and we’re not able to use them,” Campbell said. “I don’t know if sharing that information at the federal level prompted the visit we received.”
A request for comment from GreenPower Motor was not received in time for publication.
The company announced plans this past January for a manufacturing facility in Sanata Teresa, New Mexico. A joint release from GreenPower and the New Mexico Economic Development Department said they plan to open a 135,000 square foot facility to manufacture electric vehicles. The release said the facility will employ more than 340 jobs and projected an economic impact for New Mexico of more than $200 million over the next decade.