New York Governor Kathy Hochul has an ambitious plan to get zero-emission school buses on the road by 2035. Last week, she announcedthat $100 million will be available for the first round of funding. However, school districts in eastern Long Island say the timeline and certain guidelines to implement this policy are unrealistic.
“My concerns are not with the idea that were moving over to electric buses, but the cost associated with it and the reliability of the technology,” said Adam Fine, the superintendent of East Hampton Union Free School District.
The goal is for all new school buses purchased in New York to be zero-emission by 2027, and Hochul wants only electric buses to be on the road by 2035.
In East Hampton, the school district has their own transportation department. As of 2021, their new bus facility is two miles away from the district offices where they host mechanic programs for students to experience hands-on learning.
East Hampton’s transportation department prepared for the day that a policy like this would be implemented — having the wiring in place to make the switch for charging stations. Riverhead and Southampton also own and operate their school buses. Southold and Shelter Island contract out to bus companies.
However, Fine is concerned about his four diesel mechanics who would have to be retrained to work on electric buses, and he estimates the cost to purchase electric buses is double the amount to buy a diesel bus.
The state expects an estimated $780 million is needed to transition 3,000 vehicles by 2027, and the policy guidelines are geared towards high-need school districts — mostly in rural areas where funding and infrastructure is limited.
The most significant concern Fine had was the range of how far these buses can travel.
“We’re on the eastern part of Long Island, most of our routes are mostly condensed within our community,” Fine said. “But we also participate in interscholastic sports and field trips, with some of these trips being more than 35 miles. So, I’m concerned whether these buses can hold up to these ranges we have to travel.”
Melissa Griffiths Parrott, the deputy executive director at Renewable Energy Long Island, said the concerns of school leaders will need to be addressed by the state government as New York moves forward to implement these goals.
“Making this mandate is one step in the right direction and working with those specific school districts to make it happen is very important,” Parrott said. “I feel confident that the state will do that.”
New York makes up 10% — or around 45,000 buses —of the nation’s total bus fleet, according to the governor’s office. This means that the state’s greenhouse gas output has a bigger impact on climate than some other states.
In support of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050, the State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) rolled out its Electric School Bus Guidebook in September to share information regarding the plan, strategies for implementation, price breakdowns and resources for cost-effectiveness, including financial incentives and grant programs.
The next challenge to figure out for policymakers is testing how electric buses and larger vehicles work in colder conditions, but Parrott said the state’s aggressive timeline means that they’re going to put ample resources into solving these issues.
“If we keep talking about the barriers to transition to electricity, we're not doing it,” Parrott said. “Answering the question of how we're going to make this happen is very important.”
This timeline is challenging for school leaders.
Southold Union Free School District Superintendent Anthony Mauro said that part of the plan is unlikely to happen in eastern Long Island and other rural school districts because of how close the deadline is.
“It’s an ambitious timeline for us that we have to start considering to develop a budget for in the next three years,” Fine echoed. “Instead of budgeting $600,000 for the three buses now your budgeting $1.2 million which is where it's hard to wrap your head around it.”
NYSERDA launched the pre-application process for bus manufacturers, companies and dealers, as well as school districts with their own bus fleets, by releasing the program rules for the state’s School Bus Incentive Program.
The program has set aside $500 million for zero-emission school buses and infrastructure. The full application process to receive funding will open on Nov. 29.
Using state and federal incentive programs, the hope is for electric school buses currently on the market to be accessible for school districts to make the transition, Hochul said.
Right now, there are four electric school bus models available and battery capacity has a sufficient range to cover most school bus routes in the state, according to the governor’s office. As newer technology increases its range, lawmakers hope to roll out hydrogen cell-powered buses, rather than the battery-powered buses that are available now for school districts and bus operators.
Hydrogen cell-powered buses still appear to be in its infancy, Parrott said.
While the guidelines and recent policies suggest that the timeline for implementation is feasible, school leaders said lawmakers will have to be diligent in educating their districts about the benefits of zero-emission buses.
“Nobody is gonna sit here and make the argument that it’s a bad idea. We just have concerns about how to make it happen and make it work for everybody,” Fine said, asking the state to let them see the technology in action or loan them a bus to test drive.
“You're always concerned with that first level of technology coming here and working the way it's supposed to work,” he added.
