Educators Question Electric-Bus Mandate

Cost, range, garage space present huge challenges

Is the transition to electric school buses too expensive and too complicated?

That’s the question being asked by legislators and educators in the Highlands as New York’s mandated, seven-year transition to a zero-emission fleet begins in 2027.

Electric school buses can cost $400,000 or more, three times the cost of a diesel bus. And there are concerns about range, electrical capacity and the need for larger garages to accommodate the buses and chargers.

So far, the Beacon, Haldane and Garrison districts do not have any electric buses, although Garrison has two hybrid vans. Haldane is seeking grants to buy four electric buses and Beacon voters have approved the purchase of two. 

Statewide, only about 100 of 45,000 buses are electric, although about 1,000 have been approved or ordered, according to Adam Ruder, director of clean transportation for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). At the same time, residents in a handful of districts, including Hyde Park, have voted against electric bus purchases, even with state grants cutting the cost.

State Sen. Rob Rolison, a Republican whose district includes the Highlands, said he supports the transition to zero-emission buses. But he said the state needs to “listen to the school superintendents, school boards and taxpayers who are saying, ‘Can we just slow down? Let’s get it done. But the time frame is unrealistic.’” 

The New York State Educational Conference Board, a coalition of groups that represent superintendents, PTAs, school boards, teachers, business officials and administrators, has raised concerns. Last month, the board published a paper stating that the mandate “will force districts to reduce educational opportunities for students, increase taxes and spend exorbitant sums, and cause voter unrest.”

It proposed changes that include giving districts more money toward the estimated $15 billion in costs; allowing hybrid and low-emission buses; certifying range estimates from manufacturers; better access to funding by third-party transportation providers; and special utility rate structures for districts.

Assembly Member Dana Levenberg, a Democrat whose district includes Philipstown, said it’s too soon to start “kicking the can down the road” by pushing back the zero-emission bus mandate. “We need to continue to work toward the goal. If we can’t reach the goal, we can extend the deadline.” She said she is not aware of any plans to add funding for electric buses to the 2025 state budget.

Jonathan Jacobson, a Democratic member of the Assembly whose district includes Beacon, said the conversion to electric buses “has presented more challenges than anticipated” including rising fleet costs, a lack of charging stations and electrical capacity and that “the buses would be too heavy for many of the small bridges in suburban and rural districts.” But he said he was optimistic legislators and state agencies could find “affordable solutions.”

At NYSERDA, Ruder said districts should get started, regardless. “We’ve been encouraging districts to buy one or two, kick the tires and get a sense of how they perform,” he said, adding that 75 percent of districts have the electrical capacity to charge at least 10 buses. 

Haldane, with a fleet of 15 buses and six vans, is trying to piece together financing to buy four electric buses, at a cost of $375,000 each, said Carl Albano, the interim superintendent. Albano said grants would cover all but about $50,000 of the cost if the district is approved for funding for each bus from the state ($147,000) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency ($170,000). Whether the EPA grant will be allowed to go forward under the Trump administration is unclear.

“Being patient and measured is the way to go,” Albano said. “Teaching and learning should be the priorities, along with safe buildings. Protecting the environment is a high priority, but I don’t think it should come at the expense of cutting programs or adding taxes to the local homeowners.”

Even if Haldane can afford the buses, he said, the district will need to pay for electrical infrastructure upgrades. “We’re on a mountain,” he said. “There’s a lot of rock. The cost could be prohibitive.”

Although the Garrison School doesn’t own most of its buses — they are provided under contract with Orange County Transit — the district is studying the range of the electric buses that would transport students to and from Garrison’s K-8 campus and to Haldane, Putnam Valley and O’Neill high schools. The vendor’s seven buses are parked at Garrison during the day. If they were electric, the district would need to install chargers and the electrical capacity to run them, said Joseph Jimick, the district business manager.

Last spring, voters in the Beacon district approved the purchase of two electric buses at a cost of about $500,000 each, including chargers. The district has been able to finance more than half the cost through state grants. However, Superintendent Matt Landahl said the district, with a fleet of 57 buses and vans, would need to upgrade its garage before buying any additional electric buses.