That’s because the average electric school bus costs $350,000, about three times as much as a diesel one, the Empire Center for Public Policy Inc. found. The charger adds another $5,000 to $100,000, according to the New York State Electric School Bus Roadmap, depending on whether you want your bus charged in one hour or more than 10.
Still, the number of electric school buses in use has gone up, per the Initiative. Fewer than 100 were on the road in 2017. Today, there are close to 5,000. The rise in numbers began in 2022, when the Environmental Protection Agency opened its Clean School Bus Program — which is providing districts $5 billion over five years to replace diesel buses with electric models.
That same year, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland and New York passed electric school bus mandates. California and Delaware followed suit in 2023, and Washington passed a mandate this year. These states and a patchwork of other funding sources combined supply an additional $4.3 billion for electric school buses.
Ben Hayman, the Initiative’s senior manager of state policy for transportation electrification, said passing a mandate “sends a strong signal to industry and other interested parties to move toward a zero-emission economy.”
“It also signals a commitment to protecting public and environmental health for all communities,” he said, “and especially those that are disproportionately harmed by transportation pollution.”
The federal Clean School Bus Program and other funding sources provide money for electric buses in low-income areas first. Such areas are where children of color are more likely to ride the bus and live near highways, increasing their exposure to air pollution, the Electric School Bus Initiative reported.
Advocates of electric school bus mandates have said the transition will improve student health, help the environment, add new jobs and cut district operating costs over time. Opponents have said these mandates place a huge financial burden on school districts.
New York state Sen. George Borrello has proposed a bill to eliminate the mandate. He said there’s nowhere near enough funding available for districts to make the required conversion.
“School districts are going to have to choose between educating our children and meeting this virtue signaling electric school bus mandate,” Borrello said.
Other concerns include whether manufacturers will be able to ramp up production in time to meet state mandates, and whether electric buses can handle extreme temperatures and long rural routes.
YOUR MANDATE MAY VARY
Each state mandate is different. Washington does not require districts to buy electric buses until the total cost of ownership is the same or less than diesel, whereas New York has banned the purchase of diesel buses after 2027 and requires 100 percent electric buses by 2035.
Connecticut requires all school buses be electric by 2040, while Delaware mandates five percent of any new buses purchased be electric starting next year. That number will increase by five additional percent each year until 2030, when Delaware officials will reassess and make new recommendations.
In Maine, 75 percent of new school buses purchased “shall to the extent practicable” be electric by 2035, the same year California will require 100 percent electric school bus purchases.
And in Maryland, all new buses purchased must be electric starting next year — unless there’s not enough funding or the bus does not meet district needs.
PLANNING AHEAD
Planning for an electric school bus fleet takes around two years, according to the Initiative. Districts must secure funding, decide which buses to replace first, determine how much more space and electricity their bus depots will need, and consider training for drivers, mechanics and first responders. The latter must be trained in battery safety.
To make the switch, districts need financial and technical assistance. The Electric School Bus Initiative maintains a list of more than 350 funding options. It also offers free technical support, from help with grant forms to fleet and facility assessments.
Due to the cost of electric school buses and the limited funding available, experts recommend districts start by swapping out their oldest buses and those that run the shortest routes first.
“It doesn’t have to be an all-in kind of deal, and I think it’s important to let school districts and officials know that,” Hayman said. “They can use this funding to get buses and learn more and collect the data and figure out how to ramp up over time.”
