A statewide mandate requiring all school buses to be electric by 2035 has resulted in a chilly preview in one New York school district of what’s to come: kids freezing on their rides to and from school.
Parents in the Lake Shore Central School District in Erie County are speaking out, claiming some bus drivers are turning the heat down – or off completely – in order to conserve battery life on electric buses, the Buffalo news outlet WIVB is reporting.
The news station reports it is receiving calls from concerned parents who say their kids are freezing cold when they come home. The kids are so cold parents are giving them hand warmers.
“The heaters on the bus run off the same electricity as the bus itself,” Scott Ziobro, a parent and former school board candidate told the outlet. “They were told that it drains the battery capacity of the bus itself.”
Winter temperatures in the Buffalo area are typically in the 20s and 30s, according to Buffalo.org. The school district covers parts of several towns along Lake Erie south of Buffalo.
The state of New York has mandated that all school bus purchases must be electric by 2027 and is requiring an all-electric bus fleet statewide by 2035.
The district currently operates a mix of electric buses and buses powered by petroleum products, with 23 of them electric, four using diesel, and 24 gasoline powered, according to superintendent Phil Johnson.
According to WIVB’s report:
The district was able to purchase 20 new electric school buses, which they cut the ribbon on over the summer using a $7.9 million federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
All of the buses operate in compliance with New York State Department of Transportation regulations, including required interior temperature standards, the district said.
However, parents who complained to the station said there have also been reports of the electric buses failing.
“The bus broke down on route,” said Chris Lampman, whose son allegedly had to stand outside in the freezing cold as a result. “They deployed a substitute bus, and the bus was more than 30 minutes late. My son stood outside for over 35 minutes waiting for a bus that wasn’t coming.”
Lynn Urbino was appalled when her grandson she helps raise told her why his bus was cold.
“My grandson came home from school last week when it was 23 degrees,” Urbino told the news outlet. “He said they didn’t have heat. He came in cold, and I told him, I said, ‘Isn’t the bus warm?’ And he said, ‘No, they can’t put the heat on because it drains the battery.’”
The district said it is aware of questions regarding heating on electric buses during cold winter conditions. The school district released a statement purporting to address the problem:
District procedures are that heat remains on for the full duration of student transportation. All routes are planned so that the electric bus battery capacity is more than sufficient to support both the route and continuous heating, even in winter weather. The district values its transportation staff and continues to provide training and support to ensure students and staff are safely transported. We appreciate the efforts of our staff as we navigate our transition to electric buses as required by (New York State.)
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is in charge of the state’s transition to an all-electric fleet by 2035.
A splashy page on its website headlined “Why Our Kids Need Electric School Buses” promotes “clean energy” and a “quieter” ride for students, while also promising “better academic outcomes” because students are breathing cleaner air.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.