DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — The Maureen Joy Charter School in Durham made history on Friday with a brand new fleet of all electric school buses. School leaders say it’s a historic step for them.

“The world is ever changing, how can we pivot with the change, but still be sustainable?” Sam Amaral, a representative for the school, said.

She says while using traditional buses, the school was spending thousands of dollars every single year on gas and maintenance just to keep the buses running.

“The amount of money we were spending on diesel, it was just this pit of money that we couldn’t spend,” she said. “We want to spend it on our children and not fixing some transportation.”

So with a generous donation from Duke Energy, they got rid of the diesel buses, and invested in the new fleet. School leaders say it’s not about the transportation itself, but rather about creating a better future for students in Durham.

“They get to look back and be like, ‘Look, my school made a difference in the nation, my school made a difference in the world, and I went there,’ and they’ll have this sense of pride that this is where they’re from,” Amaral said.

Right now there are four buses in the fleet. Four more are expected to be in service next year.