Josh Wheeler, transportation director for Winthrop Public Schools, talks Jan. 15 about problems the district has had with buses obtained from Lion Electric Co. through a grant from the Clean School Bus Program. Several school districts across the state have had trouble keeping the Lion buses on the road due to ongoing mechanical and maintenance issues. The state is now seeking help for the districts through the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the program. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

WINTHROP — Interim Superintendent Becky Foley doesn’t know if Winthrop schools will ever get the $57,000 its owed from Lion Electric Co., the Canadian company that sold the district electric buses that have failed to stay on the road.

With his district’s Lion Electric buses failing too, Andrew Dolloff, superintendent of Yarmouth schools, asked the state for replacements over a month ago and hasn’t received an answer. 

Mandy Belanger, a superintendent Down East whose district is considering legal action against Lion Electric, said it’s unclear who she should communicate her complaints and concerns to. 

“I am hitting roadblocks everywhere,” Belanger said. 

The school districts may have some answers soon. In a letter this month to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Pender Makin, commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, said she is seeking relief for the six Maine school districts who received faulty buses from Lion Electric through the Clean School Bus Program.

In all, 30 school districts across Maine received a total of 72 electric buses through the EPA-run program. However, Makin said, the Lion Electric buses, which now have been sent to nine of the districts, are the only buses to consistently have problems.

To receive a free electric bus through the program, school districts were obligated to give up a diesel bus. So with the Lion Electric buses are sidelined, the districts have had to scramble to find replacements. Also, under the program, the districts must use the buses or pay back the grant used to buy them, and per the contract with Lion, the company is supposed to pay schools for any time the buses miss in operation.

Orange high-voltage wires on one of Winthrop Public Schools’ electric buses from Lion Electric Co. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

But the buses have been sidelined with problems, and the company has struggled to provide parts and service for the vehicles.

That has left school districts, a year and a half after the problems with the buses began, wondering whether they will ever be made whole, particularly after Lion Electric last year laid off hundreds of employees and filed under Canada’s Company Creditor Arrangement Act, similar to a Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the U.S.

And they are wondering how to move forward.

In her letter to the EPA, Makin said there has been a lack of technical support for districts dealing with faulty buses, and she is asking the agency to grant waivers of the penalties for not using the buses. The EPA, she said, should use the bankruptcy proceedings to obtain funding to pay the school districts back or to help them obtain different electric buses.

“Schools in Maine invested in electric buses in good faith, believing in their potential to provide safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation,” Makin wrote. “However, the current situation with Lion Electric buses threatens their ability to meet these goals. Without immediate intervention, these challenges will continue to place a heavy burden on schools, particularly those in small towns with limited budgets.

“Additionally, Lion Electric’s mechanical failures have undermined momentum throughout the state toward zero-carbon school transportation, key goals of the EPA and the State of Maine.”

The Environmental Protection Agency directed inquiries regarding Lion Electric to the Department of Justice, which had no comment, citing unspecified ongoing litigation.

Foley, the Winthrop superintendent, said she is not expecting Lion to pay back the $57,000 the district is owed by Lion for when the electric buses were out of operation, which has been the greater part of the last year and a half. The buses are still off the roads.

“I hope Lion’s makes good on their word but I am not depending on that money to build our fiscal year 2026 budget,” Foley said.

Marie-Eve Labranche, public relations specialist for Lion Electric Co., said the company is performing the necessary follow-up steps to provide support to customers. She had no comment on relief for Maine schools.

As part of the creditor protection, Labranche said, Deloitte Restructuring was appointed to oversee Lion’s activities and cater to stockholders.

“Regarding your question about reimbursing Maine schools, we are assessing the situation and are unable at this stage to provide any comment,” she said.

Doloff said Lion does not owe Yarmouth any money for bus rentals, as the district did not rent buses when the its two buses were down. More than anything, the superintendent said, the company owes them two buses that work.

Belanger, superintendent of Alternative Organizational Structure 90 near Calais, who has had two meetings with the EPA over the buses, hopes to get a bus that works as well. With AOS 90’s one Lion bus off the road, the town of Waite is using a diesel bus as a replacement, and she is worried what would happen if it breaks down.

“They (Lion Electric) just don’t respond,” she said of her many attempts to reach the company.

Michael Segvich, director of field services in the U.S. for Lion Electric, reached out to Maine schools about a month after the company filed for creditor protection. His letter, dated Jan. 13, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to service the vehicles in Maine, though he does expect the company’s response to repair requests will slow.

Josh Wheeler, transportation director for Winthrop Public Schools, talks Jan. 15 about how the aisle in a Lion Electric bus is wider than their diesel models to make space for the large batteries between the frame rails. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Problems relating to complex repairs and technology-related issues, he said, will be prioritized by field service technicians. All other issues will be addressed remotely by Lion.

“The Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act proceedings have brought many challenges, including workforce reduction and tightened financial oversight by a court-appointed monitor,” Segvich wrote. “Despite these proceedings, Lion remains focused on assisting our customers with maintenance and servicing of their vehicles.” 

If a specific part is needed for a repair, Lion will issue the vendor and supplier part numbers, so anyone fixing the vehicle can purchase parts directly to minimize any downtime in travels from Canada.

Segvich said the company still maintains millions of parts, but the parts not in stock will require customers to reach out to a third party. The cost of the part will be covered under the warranty if the product is still within the timeframe, he said.

“During these proceedings, we expect a slowdown in our ability to send technicians onsite to lead hands on issue resolution,” he said. “We remain committed to provide as much information as possible to assist you to solve many of your issues remotely. Your expectation of us should be that we are providing you with the necessary documentation and resources to troubleshoot and repair as many EV specific issues as possible.”