Electrification Coalition
Our Work

Electric School Buses

Table of Contents

Why Electric School Buses?

One-third of children in the United States—more than 25 million—take a bus to school every day. Of the nearly 500,000 school buses operating nationwide today, approximately 95% run on diesel fuel. 

Replacing aging diesel buses with clean electric school buses (ESBs) is the best avenue to improve public health for our children, maximize cost savings for school districts, and improve the resilience of our electrical grid. 

Tailpipe emissions from diesel vehicles cause a variety of health problems, such as asthma, respiratory infections, cognitive impairment, and premature death. Exposure to air pollutants from diesel vehicles is particularly problematic for children, whose developing lungs are more susceptible to poor air quality than adults’. ESBs have zero tailpipe emissions, eliminating direct exposure to harmful pollutants. They also offer a quieter, smoother ride, with many schools reporting positive shifts in student behavior and notable benefits for students with disabilities after switching to ESBs. 

ElecC MLKCenter_081425-2154

Because it is less expensive to fuel a vehicle with electricity and electric drivetrains have fewer moving parts to break, ESBs have lower operating and maintenance costs, saving school districts an average of $7,000 per year—totaling more than $100,000 in lifetime fuel and maintenance savings. 

Emerging vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology also enables ESBs to serve as mobile power plants, providing stored energy back to the grid during periods of high demand or when supply is disrupted. School buses’ high-capacity batteries and unique drive cycles (sitting idle for most hours of the day) make them perfect candidates to improve the reliability of our electrical grids through V2G. In some cases, this serves as another source of revenue for the school district. 

The same technology allows ESBs to act as mobile power units, providing emergency backup power during disaster response. Given that underserved communities are often hit hardest by extreme weather events, ESBs as mobile power units could be particularly useful for enhancing resilience in these areas. Check out our V2X Implementation Guide for an in-depth explanation of the potential uses of this technology.

Step-by-Step School Bus Electrification Guide

Electrification of a school bus fleet requires planning and collaboration with many stakeholders. However, a wide variety of resources are available to simplify, streamline, and support school districts as they navigate the process. School district leadership and fleet managers should consider the steps below for a successful transition to ESBs. 


1. Engage Stakeholders

Bring all relevant stakeholders to the table. School district administrators, superintendents, city council members, utility representatives, school bus fleet managers, bus drivers, maintenance staff, school facility managers, parents, and students will need to inform different parts of the process. 

EC Executive Director Ben Prochazka discusses the benefits of electric school buses on Scripps News’: The Why. 


2. Identify Partners

Utilities are essential partners. They can provide estimates of charging costs and identify necessary electrical infrastructure to support charging equipment. They must also be included in conversations about V2G. Some utilities offer financing programs for purchasing ESBs, especially if the batteries will be an asset to the grid. 

States and municipalities can also serve as partners, as many have sustainability goals and emissions-reduction targets that ESBs can support. By identifying potential partners early in the planning process, school districts will be aware of all the options and opportunities available to them. 

Nonprofit organizations dedicated to transportation electrification may be able to provide resources or assistance. In addition to our own resources, the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative offers technical assistance to school districts pursuing school bus electrification, and your local Clean Cities coalition may also be able to connect you with partners, vendors, funding, or technical support. 


3. Set Goals

Work with stakeholders and partners to set concrete goals for school bus electrification, including the desired date for full fleet electrification and interim targets. This can serve as a roadmap to keep project implementation on track, accelerate deployment, and ensure accountability at every step of the process. It’s important to note that some school districts contract fleet operations to a third party; the terms of these contracts may influence the pace of fleet electrification. 


4. Plan Routes and Identify Charging Needs

Determine which routes the school buses will serve, where and when the buses will charge, and the charging type required. ESBs need to be plugged in for several hours, so parking layout matters. Chargers should ideally be placed near buildings to reduce costs, since most require 3-phase power. Some older yards may need utility upgrades to support certain charger types. 

The number of chargers required depends on fleet size—larger fleets will likely need significant lot retrofitting, while smaller fleets may only need a few units. Multiple buses may also be able to share a single charger. Level 2 chargers are more affordable but slower (full charge in ~8 hours). DC fast chargers cost more upfront but can fully charge a bus in 2–3 hours. To maximize cost savings, school districts and transportation providers should consider opting for managed (programmable) charging systems over unmanaged ones. These systems can be scheduled to charge during off-peak hours, reducing overall energy costs. 

Working with your local utility provider early is key, as permits, power upgrades, and installation can take 6–12 months to complete. The utility will assist with the connection process for EV charging equipment and help determine whether any infrastructure upgrades are needed. The school district must also work with the utility to determine charging rates and the best charging times; software platforms are available to help leverage these opportunities.


5. Identify Pathways to Funding

Funding is available across the nation for school districts looking to transition to ESBs, and manufacturers are offering an increasing variety of electric models as the market matures. There are a variety of strategies available to reduce the costs of vehicle procurement and charging infrastructure deployment. Many of them can be used in combination. Check out the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center database for state and federal funding programs for more information. 

  • Cooperative purchasing: Schools looking to purchase ESBs should visit DriveEVFleets.org, which offers cooperative purchasing contracts for school bus vendors, including IC Bus and Thomas Built Buses. The platform also includes resources for the procurement process, policy guidance, and other informative materials. 

 

  • Public-private partnerships: Red Lake School District #38, MN, financed the procurement of two electric school buses through a partnership with Highland Electric. The company procures buses, develops charging infrastructure, and manages charging and maintenance, all as a subscription service. This frees the district from upfront transition and long-term management costs. The Red Lake School District project was also supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Program (CSBP). 

 

  • State programs:  Michigan’s Clean Bus Energy Grant (CBEG) Program has awarded $125 million for clean school buses. The program was designed to complement funding awarded to Michigan school districts through EPA’s CSBP; it has deployed approximately 322 ESBs across 100 school districts and removed 376 diesel buses from the road. Check out our blog to learn more about the program. New York’s School Bus Incentive Program takes on a similar cost-matching approach with federal funding and allotted $500 million from the state budget to the program, of which 88 school districts have applied for funds to purchase 529 buses since the program’s launch. 

 

  • EPA CSBP: The EPA CSBP provides $500 million in federal funding each year over five years (FY 2022–2026) to replace existing school buses with zero- and low-emission models. As of May 2026, the EPA is actively reviewing and revamping the CSBP in accordance with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The EPA anticipates providing additional information and program updates in the near future.  

 

  • Utility partnerships: School districts like Virginia school districts partnered with Dominion Energy  to fund the rollout of 50 ESBs. The utility covered the cost difference between a diesel bus and an ESB, including electrical infrastructure and charging equipment. In return, the school buses are being used as a distributed energy resource, for which Dominion Energy holds the rights. 

 

  • Pay-as-you-save programs: In the pay-as-you-save (PAYS) model of school bus procurement, a utility covers the upfront costs of electrification, including charging infrastructure. Once the school bus is deployed, a small charge is added to the school’s electrical bill to recover the utility’s initial investment. The additional charge is calculated to fall within the cost savings from switching from diesel to electric. Once the initial investment cost has been repaid, the monthly charge is terminated. 


6. Procure Electric Buses and Charging Equipment

ESBs are available from many vehicle manufacturers, including Bluebird, Pegasus Bus, Endera, Thomas Built Buses, IC Bus, Micro Bird, GreenPower Motor Company, Trans Tech, RIDE, and Collins Bus. It’s important to keep in mind that vehicle procurement can take up to 18 months. Vehicle manufacturers will also help determine the electric buses’ charging equipment needs. It is also important to explore charging software that can help achieve electricity cost savings. 

School districts can now consider business models such as fleet-as-a-service (FaaS) and charging-as-a-service (CaaS) when planning for procurement. FaaS and Caas make the switch much more accessible for districts through a subscription model in which providers cover the upfront costs, infrastructure, and maintenance of ESBs and charging infrastructure. Under this model, for a flat annual fee, districts bypass complex grid upgrades and fleet management. Providers also offset costs by selling energy back to the grid. Learn more at Highland Electric Fleets.

Electric School Bus Events

The Electrification Coalition has partnered with several stakeholders to host state-specific discussions on opportunities to accelerate deployment of ESBs.


ESB Roundtables

The EC has hosted four roundtable discussions to discuss state-specific opportunities to accelerate the deployment of ESBs. Each roundtable discussion brought together industry experts, legislative leaders, EV advocates, and school district representatives to participate in the process. 

View video recordings, agendas, slides, and other resources from events in the following states: 


EC and EPA CSBP Webinar

The EC and EPA Region 3 Clean School Bus Team discussed the CSBP and discussed how to prepare a successful application, best practices for working with utilities, and how to engage rural school districts in the transition to ESBs. 


Michigan ESB Teach-Ins

The EC, Highland Electric Fleets, and Clean Fuels Michigan have co-hosted two hands-on teach-in events to explore the exciting future of ESBs in Michigan. Check out our 2024 and 2025 Teach-Ins for more information. 


Pennsylvania ESB Press Event

The EC and the Pennsylvania ESB Coalition hosted a press event at the state capitol to urge Pennsylvania House leaders to pass legislation to fund a statewide ESB grant program.

Amy Malaki

Amy Malaki is the head of policy and sustainability at SkyNRG and SkyNRG Americas, pioneering global leaders in sustainable aviation fuel production and supply. Prior to SkyNRG, Amy was the associate director for the transportation portfolio at the ClimateWorks Foundation where she developed philanthropic investment strategies to advance a sustainable, equitable and low-carbon mobility system. She also pioneered the organization’s international aviation decarbonization strategy. Prior to that she focused on Asia business development at Better Place, a Silicon Valley electric vehicle network startup. She has a B.A. in Chinese and China studies from the University of Washington and an M.A. in international policy studies (energy and environment) from Stanford University.