By Caroline Hahn

Electric School Bus Ride & Drive Event in Albany! 

March 4, 2022

On Wednesday, March 2nd, NYLCV held a ride and drive event for New York State Legislators with some electric school bus manufacturers. Electric school buses from Blue Bird, Lion Electric Company, and a retrofitted diesel to electric school bus done by Unique Electric Solutions and operated by Logan Bus Company, all made the trip to Albany to showcase the electric school bus market. 

The day was kicked off by a press conference with speakers Julie Tighe, President of NYLCV; Justin Balik, Senior Manager of State Policy for Transportation Electrification for the World Resources Institute; Basil Seggos, Commissioner of the NY Department of Environmental Conservation; Jeanette Moy, Commissioner of the Office of General Services; David Sandbank, Vice President of Distributed Energy Resources for NYSERDA; Trevor Summerfield, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association; Orville Thomas, Director of Government Relations for Lion Electric; Joe Ambrosio, President of Unique Electric Solutions; and Jeremy Johnston, Sales Manager for Blue Bird. 

Speakers vocalized their support for electric school buses and emphasized the importance of electrifying New York’s school bus fleet to improve public health, decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, and clean our transportation systems. 

After the press conference, New York State legislators stopped by throughout the day to take a ride, and to learn more about the school buses as they make their decisions on including funding for electric school buses in the 2022 State Budget. 

NYLCV and our partner groups are advocating for secured funding in the 2022 State Budget to support Governor Hochul’s mandate of the full electrification of New York’s school bus fleet by 2035. We’re also advocating for an equitable transition to all-electric school buses by prioritizing electrification in environmental justice and disadvantaged communities. Support our effort and send a message to your state legislators here! 

Throughout the day the bus manufacturers showcased the buses’ engines, speed capabilities, and smoothness. Overall it was a great day absent of loud school bus idling and diesel exhaust! Thank you to all those who attended and continue to support our efforts! 

 

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