Nothing says school days like the iconic yellow school bus, and as those familiar buses returned to our communities and roads this fall, it was a reminder that the school buses of 2023 should be more modern than the ones that many of us took when we were schoolchildren decades ago.
The reality, though, is they are not.
The majority of school buses in New Jersey run on diesel fuel and spew exhaust that impacts student health and even learning outcomes. In New Jersey, according to the Motor Vehicle Commission, there are roughly 9,400 large school buses registered, of which approximately 7,800 (83%) are powered by diesel and 1,600 (17%) are powered by propane.
Diesel can cause serious cognitive and developmental concerns for students and drivers alike. A 2019 study conducted by researchers from Georgia State University showed that diesel pollution from school buses had a significant negative impact on children’s aerobic capacity and even their academic performance, evident by lower test scores. Diesel fumes are dangerous, and as this past summer brought record-breaking levels of extreme heat, wildfires and hazardous air quality levels, the time has come to reimagine this classic form of student transportation.
This is particularly critical in underserved communities, which experience the worst effects of air pollution. It’s time to electrify our school bus fleet to run with no tailpipe emissions. In Trenton, the ER and hospitalization rates for children with asthma-related issues is nearly double that of the rest of Mercer County and more than double the statewide rate. In Newark, 1 in 4 students have a diagnosis of asthma.
Transition to electric
The good news is there’s tremendous support available to help schools and districts deliver clean, electric rides today.
Take charging infrastructure, for example. It’s one of the most important aspects of the electric school bus transition, and as a result, many resources exist to help school districts properly plan for their charging infrastructure. Funding opportunities such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program can pay for charging infrastructure in addition to the cost of the bus, with low-income and high-need districts eligible for additional funding.
Forty-eight New Jersey school districts applied for a total of 204 electric school buses during the first round of the grant program, but only one district received funding because of a lottery system. Districts and other eligible applicants now have the chance to apply to the latest funding round — the 2023 CSB Rebate Program — that recently opened and is accepting funding applications until Jan. 3, 2024.
How else can you fund electric school buses? On the federal side, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allows school districts to take advantage of incentives for both vehicles and charging infrastructure.
On the state level, there is the new Electric School Bus program that was signed into law by Gov. Murphy, but $15 million of FY24 funding was finally allocated by the Legislature yesterday. The first round of funding should open in early 2024 and includes a 50% set aside for disadvantaged communities. Currently, there are 21 battery electric buses operating with an additional 137 waiting to be delivered, a vast majority using state funding from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Electric school buses are becoming more advanced, with longer ranges with each new generation of bus, and current electric school bus battery ranges can already cover most bus routes. Electric school buses can also extend their range through a process called regenerative braking, where the bus can effectively recharge its own battery while driving. And there are multiple models of every type of electric school bus that include ADA-compliant wheelchair lifts.
Electric school buses also have a lower total cost of ownership than diesel buses due to lower fuel and maintenance costs and vehicle-to-grid capabilities. A study from the University of Delaware estimates that a school district could save up to $230,000 per bus by switching from diesel to electric.
Electric school buses have been successfully deployed in a variety of climates and across urban, suburban and rural areas. That includes cold-weather climates like in Alaska, Utah and Michigan and warm-weather climates like in Arizona. In addition, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has found its bus performing well in North Carolina’s mountainous terrain.
Electric buses are working across the country and it’s time for New Jersey to modernize the school bus for the 21st century.
[Editor’s note: This op-ed has been updated to include legislative developments on Thursday.]