The Electric School Bus Transition: An NYLCVEF Webinar

The state’s fiscal year 2023 budget, passed in April 2022, established New York as the first state in the country to mandate an all-electric school bus fleet. As part of this plan, all new school buses purchased by 2027 must be zero-emission, and all school buses on the road must be zero-emission by 2035.

The New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund recently welcomed Jessica Wang from World Resources Institute and Ian Fried from CalStart for a webinar to explore the future of clean school transportation and to discuss the benefits of electric school buses, from reducing emissions to fostering a sustainable learning environment. 

Watch here:

NYLCVEF and partner organizations are shifting into high gear to help educate the public as well as school districts and other stakeholders about what this transition means and how it can be achieved. In a recent article, we highlighted the public health and environmental benefits of ESBs as well as funding opportunities at the state and federal levels.

[Important note: the deadline for the most recent round of federal funding, administered by the EPA, has been extended to February 14, 2024.] 

We know electric school buses are better for the environment. What is less known is that diesel-powered buses are poisoning children’s lungs and contributing to an asthma epidemic. This electric school bus transition won’t happen overnight, nor was it meant to. With a 12-year runway in front of them, the most important thing for school districts to do is to begin.