Opinion: The Electric School Bus Mandate—A Financial Gamble New York Can’t Afford
By Eddie VanStine
As New York moves forward with its ambitious mandate to
require electric school buses by 2035, it is clear that this is a financial
gamble that risks devastating local school districts, particularly in rural
areas. While the intention to reduce emissions and embrace clean energy is
noble, the practical realities of this mandate—especially the costs, technology
limitations, and infrastructure challenges—make it a burdensome, unfeasible
plan. It’s time to hit the brakes on this mandate before it drives local school
districts into financial ruin.
The Eye-Watering Costs
Let’s begin with the numbers. The cost of a single electric
school bus can easily exceed $400,000—a stark contrast to the roughly $100,000
price tag of a traditional diesel bus. For districts across the state,
including rural areas already facing tight budgets, this represents a massive
financial burden. When you factor in the thousands of buses required to replace
New York’s current fleet, we are talking about a price tag of between $8
billion and $15.25 billion—and that’s just for the buses themselves.
This doesn’t even take into account the costs of charging
infrastructure, facility upgrades, and the electric grid improvements
required to support these buses. According to the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), even with federal and state
funding, local school districts will be left with a staggering share of these
costs, which will inevitably be passed on to local taxpayers. School districts
simply don’t have the budget to shoulder this kind of financial burden. The
state is forcing districts to make huge, unfunded investments without providing
adequate financial support or infrastructure.
The Infrastructure Deficit
Electric buses are not just expensive—they require a
completely different infrastructure to function properly. The charging stations
alone could cost millions of dollars to install. For rural school districts,
where infrastructure is already lacking, the costs to build out a comprehensive
charging network could run into the billions. These districts already struggle
with outdated facilities and limited resources. Expecting them to develop the
necessary charging infrastructure without significant state support is not just
impractical—it’s nearly impossible.
The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has
warned that transitioning to electric buses could place undue stress on the
state’s already overburdened electric grid, especially in rural areas that are
more susceptible to power outages. The grid wasn’t designed to handle this
level of demand, and unless significant investments are made to modernize the
system, the shift to electric buses could exacerbate existing energy
reliability problems.
Furthermore, battery charging times are a key issue.
A standard electric school bus can take 8-12 hours to fully charge,
depending on the power supply. That’s a huge logistical problem when you have a
fleet of buses that need to be ready for morning pick-up and afternoon
drop-off. Rural districts, where distances between schools and charging
stations are longer, are particularly vulnerable to these inefficiencies.
The Technology Isn’t Ready
Electric school buses, while promising, are not yet reliable
enough for widespread use, particularly in rural districts. According to the American
School Bus Council, while electric buses have been successfully used in
some urban areas, rural school districts face unique challenges. Long routes,
steep terrain, and harsh winters all present serious issues for electric buses,
which are known to have reduced battery life in cold temperatures.
In many rural areas, school buses drive 60-100 miles
per day, with frequent stops along the way. During colder months, electric
buses can experience a 40% reduction in range—a substantial issue when
these buses need to cover large, remote areas. The U.S. Department of Energy
reports that, while electric vehicle battery technology has improved, it is
still far from the point where it can consistently meet the needs of rural
school routes without running the risk of running out of power mid-route.
Moreover, the safety and reliability of electric
buses have yet to be proven in real-world, widespread applications. The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not yet conducted
comprehensive reviews of electric school buses, and concerns about their
ability to meet the stringent safety standards of traditional buses remain
unanswered. Given the untested nature of this technology, pushing districts
into adopting electric buses before they’re fully ready puts our children at
risk.
A Strain on Rural Taxpayers
The most pressing concern, however, is the impact this
mandate will have on local taxpayers. As Assemblyman Phil Palmesano has
pointed out, this mandate represents a classic case of an unfunded mandate—a
policy imposed by the state without the necessary funding to implement it. The
cost to implement this mandate will fall on local school districts, which will
be forced to raise property taxes to cover the additional costs. For rural
areas already struggling with high taxes and low resources, this could be the
breaking point.
Palmesano has also highlighted the disparity between
how state agencies and school districts are treated under this mandate. While
school districts are required to transition their fleets by 2035, the state
itself won’t be required to fully convert its own heavy-duty vehicle fleet
until 2040—five years after schools are mandated to comply. This raises
serious questions about the fairness of the mandate. If the state recognizes
that it will take time for its own fleet to make the transition, why should
school districts be forced to lead the charge?
The Need for a Rational Approach
The state’s push for electric school buses, while
well-intentioned, is nothing more than a costly experiment that hasn’t been
properly vetted. We need a cost, feasibility, and safety analysis before
moving forward. The state should not be forcing local districts to take on a
massive financial burden for a technology that is not yet ready to be deployed
on a wide scale.
Instead of rushing into a full-scale mandate, the state
should allow districts to choose when and how they adopt electric school buses
based on their specific needs and resources. Rural districts, in particular,
should have the option to delay adoption until the technology is proven and the
infrastructure is in place to support it. The state should lead by example,
fully transitioning its own fleet first, and only then should local districts
be asked to follow suit.
It’s time to reconsider this mandate. The economic,
logistical, and technological challenges are too great to ignore. Forcing rural
districts to make this transition prematurely will only lead to chaos,
increased costs, and unnecessary risks. We need to slow down, conduct thorough
research, and ensure that any transition to electric school buses is done in a
way that is financially viable and technologically sound—not
based on political ambition.
It’s time for Albany to pump the brakes on this electric
school bus mandate. The children of New York deserve better than to be used as
guinea pigs for an unproven, financially reckless plan.
— Eddie VanStine
