Electric Buses are Making Their Way Through New York State!

By Liam McGowan

Electric school buses (ESB’s) are rolling in, and with them, significant beneficial changes. Brand new data from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Carleton University solidifies electric school bus benefits over diesel buses. 

This new study from WRI shines a light on what states and counties stand to gain from a transition to electric school buses. According to WRI’s ESB Initiative, annual societal impacts will be upwards of $1.6 billion nationwide, with $190.68 million for New York State alone.
These metrics are “among the first to model and quantify the county-level health and climate impacts of using electric school buses instead of aging diesel-burning buses,” the report states. “By comparing these costs at the local level, the data provides annual societal benefit figures in dollar terms for every county in the contiguous United States.”

Some states will benefit more than others, primarily Florida, Texas, and right here in New York. These states – with large, dense populations – have been using older diesel buses for longer, meaning a switch to electric would have a profound impact. 

New York accounts for four of the top ten counties in the US projected to benefit the most from the switch to ESB’s: Queens, Kings, Nassau, and Suffolk. 

The health impacts were “estimated by determining the excess mortality due to exposure to fine particulate matter caused by these school buses,”  according to the report. To understand these impacts in dollar figures, they used a sociological metric – the Value of a Statistical Life –  that “looks at how much society is willing to pay for small reductions to the risk of dying from health conditions that may be caused by environmental pollution.”

The climate impacts of diesel school buses was measured using the Social Cost of Carbon, an “established metric for the societal damage from extreme heat, sea level rise, food insecurity, and other impacts of climate change.” 

Downstate, for example, those calculations translate to $48.2 million in health and climate costs in Kings County, $36.18 million in Queens County, nearly $12 million in Nassau, and nearly $20 million in Suffolk. In Western New York, in Erie County and Monroe County, that translates to $5.85 million and $5.15 million in costs, respectively. 

And because the The WRI study – which is ongoing – currently leaves out some diesel pollutants like ozone and nitrous oxide, it’s possible that the health benefits from electric buses might actually exceed current expectations.

NYLCV/EF has long championed the benefits of ESB’s. 

We are a proud member of the New York City and New York State Clean School Bus Coalitions, and we also collaborate with key partners like the Alliance for Electric School Buses (AESB) and CHISPA, who works with communities disproportionately impacted by environmental harms all across the U.S.

In 2021, when New York City committed to a full transition to electric school buses by 2035 –  with purchases limited to electric models starting in 2027 – and when New York State followed suit in 2022, environmental and public health advocates celebrated it as a major win. Since the passing of that legislation, NYLCVEF has been engaging with school districts and the general public to educate about the benefits of ESB’s and establish best practices to help the transition materialize.

NYLCVEF, together with NYCSBUS, WRI, Calstart, and Bronx Community College, won the NYSERDA Clean Transportation Prize in 2022. The winning (and ongoing) project, “Electrifying School Buses in the Bronx and Beyond,” received $8 million in prize money to help provide a framework to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission school buses in New York City and throughout the State.

The selection of NYCSBUS’s Zerega Depot in the Bronx for the first phase of the project was important, as the surrounding community ranks in the 98th percentile nationally for air pollution caused by diesel engines. 

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, one of these energy efficient vehicles releases 68% less greenhouse gas emissions than a diesel school bus. Expand the number of buses in the fleet and this generates a significant reduction in terms of atmospheric CO2 released. 

But less emissions does not mean less power. Per charge, these energy efficient buses have a range of 100-210 miles, whereas the typical travel distance needed for school buses around NYC is just 80 miles.

Electric buses have proven to bring major health benefits, primarily for schoolchildren. When a diesel bus stalls, emissions from the tailpipe become trapped inside the bus cabin. Ambient air pollution inside a diesel bus can be 4 to 12 times higher than directly outside. This can cause health complications for young children, especially impacting and aggravating those with asthma. 

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, asthma is the leading cause of chronic disease related school absenteeism, with asthma rates typically being higher in communities of color. For example, Asthma rates for children under 18 in the South Bronx – where the Zerega bus depot is located – is 13.3%. That’s nearly twice the national average.

Leaving behind diesel buses will improve the children’s health and lead to higher school attendance rates and more successful learning outcomes.
The new data from WRI makes an already strong case even stronger: Electric school buses will undoubtedly bring substantial health, environmental, and economic benefits to communities across the   country, and especially here in New York. 

The switch to electric school buses is a marathon, not a sprint. Scaling up is achievable, and starting small – but starting now – is key to ensuring a healthier future for our children. 

Helpful resources: 

WRI Study

NYSERDA Electric School Bus Roadmap

NYSERDA FlexTech Clean Transportation Study

DRVE Fleet Analytics Tool

Liam McGowan has been a communications intern at the New York League of Conservation Voters since September 2025. He recently graduated from the University of Vermont in May 2025 with a B.S. in Environmental Science (Biology concentration). During his time at UVM he assisted with projects in the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory. To learn more about Liam, visit his LinkedIn page located here.