Last year the NYC Clean School Bus Coalition stayed busy on the advocacy front, accomplishing their biggest goal when Intro-455A passed in the fall. Now, with a citywide mandate for all school buses to be electric by 2035, the coalition is shifting it’s work to focus on the next five years.
The agenda highlights goals to support a swift transition to electric school buses, to facilitate equitable implementation, and to expand the coalition’s reach beyond New York City. The coalition will look at utility funding for EV charging stations and electric school buses, as well as researching different tools that can better facilitate deployment via financing, leasing models, and vehicle to grid technology. This will all be done with important stakeholders such as parents, bus companies and contractors.
The coalition will continue to center equitable implementation as essential to the transition. A big priority will be for electric school buses and their charging infrastructure to be first implemented in areas that serve communities historically overburdened by poor air quality and environmental racism.
The biggest shift in coalition work will be a broader focus on New York State as a whole. During her State of the State address earlier this year, Governor Hochul committed to a 100% zero emission school bus fleet by 2035, starting with all new school bus purchases being zero emission by 2027. The coalition will now be working to support the codification of this commitment into law, ensuring that equity and labor considerations remain at the forefront.
Over the next five years we can expect to see major changes in the amount of electric school buses on the road in New York City. The coalition will stay active in this transition, while keeping its focus on labor and environmental justice, in order to support a smooth transition. This will go hand in hand with continued public engagement and education, to uplift electric school buses as a way to improve community health outcomes, climate justice, and support a just economy.
Check out the new 2022-2027 coalition agenda here.