AMHERST, NY (WKBW) — School districts across the state must start planning to replace school buses with electric buses. New York State is the first in the nation to adopt an electric school bus mandate.
School buses purchased by 2027 must be zero-emission buses and then by 2035 the entire fleet would need to be electric.
7 New Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley met with a leader from the Sweet Home Central School District which is already mapping out plans for an all-electric bus fleet.
“It's a heavy lift, but one that we're pretty excited about and one we are looking forward to,” noted Don Feldmann, assistant superintendent of Finance & Plants Services.
Between 2027 and 2035, school districts statewide must transition to electric buses and the Sweet Home Central School District is already well on its way.
I met with Feldmann in the district’s newly constructed bus transportation center.
“As of right now, we've contracted with an architectural firm Wendell Architects here locally, that have provided us kind of a transition plan to not only get our transition or buses to zero-emission, but to make sure that our infrastructure the place behind us here that you see is ready for electric buses,” explained Feldman.
Feldmann tells me so far, they're purchasing three electric buses to begin replacing a total of 67 school buses.
“We're taking it slow but steady and we've jumped in with the three buses for next year that we feel comfortable with and then we'll kind of examine from there,” Feldmann noted.
“Do you feel it's realistic for the state to do this?" Buckley asked. “The plan itself is a responsible one in terms of the environment, kind of take a wait and see approach, I guess, you know, and working with National Grid and things along those lines, there's concerns about the grid about you know, enough power on the grid. And then honestly, we're looking at timelines where we might wait 18 months for a bus,” replied Feldmann.
The Sweet Home District buses about 3,600 students each day to their schools.
“It’s going to be in the neighborhood of about anywhere from about $9 to $11 million with charging infrastructure and things along those lines,” Feldmann added.
“It's just mindboggling and I worry about how school districts are going to meet that cost. They can't just willy-nilly raise taxes,” declared James Hanley, Empire Center for Public Policy.
Hanley, who specializes in energy policy, co-authored the report, “Charging Forward: New York's Costly Rush to Electrify School Buses".
Hanley said this unfunded mandate will cost districts between $8.5 to $15 billion.
“Instead of putting a deadline by when all school buses have to be electric, just say any replacements have to be electric and let that take as long as it takes,” Hanley responded. “School districts must figure out how they are going to fund this. How much this is going to cost? Do they have sufficient electricity resources near their bus barns? Are they going to have to rebuild their bus barns and move them to where there is electricity?”
But back in the Sweet Home bus garage, Feldmann says his district is hoping to garner grant funding through programs provided by National Grid, EPA or NYSERTA.
I asked Feldmann what his advice would be to other districts who have not started a process to electrify their bus fleet.
“I would strongly suggest starting with your local utility or an architectural firm that can help you work through the transition process,” Feldmann commented.
I asked him what the single biggest challenge is in the process.
“Single biggest challenge for us, I think we've been very fortunate to get in on kind of a first round of funding, kind of going forward. I think that there'll be money for bus purchases. The area that I would look for help from is the infrastructure pieces, the charging stations, and things along those lines. That's the uncertainty for me right now. That's kind of where it lies,” answered Feldmann.
