Electric School Buses: The Smartest Way to Get to School

Millions of children still ride diesel-powered school buses, exposing them to harmful diesel pollution that can trigger asthma attacks and interfere with their ability to learn.

Diesel exhaust is a known human carcinogen. The tiny particles of pollution in diesel exhaust can lodge deep in the lungs and cause irritation. In addition to short-term problems like coughing, headaches, and nausea, breathing these fumes has been shown to damage both the lungs and the heart.

Even worse, diesel pollution inside the bus can be several times higher than outside the bus. That means that children may be getting an extra-large dose of diesel pollution during their school commute.

The Clean School Bus Program

Congress has taken an important step toward solving the diesel school bus problem by allocating up to $5 billion for school districts to purchase electric buses with zero tailpipe emissions in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program will distribute $1 billion each year over the next five years to help clean up the nation’s school bus fleet. On October 26, 2022, EPA announced the recipients of the first round of funding. School districts in all 50 states and the District of Columbia received awards totaling $965 million to purchase 2,463 buses, 95% of which will be electric (as opposed to propane/gas).

As new rounds of electric school bus funding open, we will continue to ensure that it is allocated to the school districts that need it the most and that we invest even more into the transition away from dirty diesel school buses.

Related Press Releases:

EPA Awards Electric School Bus Funding to School Districts in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, Moms Hail the Strong Demand for Electric Buses as a Milestone

La EPA otorga financiamiento para autobuses escolares eléctricos a los distritos escolares en los 50 estados y el Distrito de Columbia.

Pennsylvania Moms Breathe Easier as EPA Awards Electric School Bus Funding to 11 School Districts in the Commonwealth

LET’S GET ROLLING: MOMS’ ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS TOUR

Moms Clean Air Force hit the road in the summer of 2021 to build support for clean, electric school buses across the country. From Nevada to Delaware, we called for federal funding to upgrade old school buses with better technology to reduce children’s exposure to harmful diesel exhaust and climate pollution.

Learn more about our tour stops and watch highlights HERE.

Why We Need Clean School Buses

Every day, millions of our children hop onto school buses that run on dirty diesel engines.

Diesel buses create tailpipe pollution, which causes a wide range of health issues. Tailpipe pollution from buses is shown to trigger asthma attacks, interfere with lung development, contribute to cancer — and even reduce children’s ability to learn.

Children are more vulnerable to diesel pollution than adults. Young lungs and hearts work harder than those of adults. Children take more breaths, and their hearts beat faster. Their organ systems are still growing — especially their lungs, which aren’t fully mature until around age 20.

The air inside a school bus can be more polluted than the air outside of it. Diesel pollution can seep inside the bus cabin from the tailpipe, and then get trapped inside. This is bad for the children, and bad for the bus drivers, too. Diesel buses also add dangerous climate pollution to our air.

Electric school buses help clean up the air we all breathe. They run on battery power, with no tailpipe emissions. That means no harmful diesel pollution, and no dangerous climate pollution.

Electric buses can help cut harmful diesel emissions in communities burdened with high levels of traffic pollution and high rates of childhood asthma. They’re also great in rural communities where children often have to take long bus rides.

Electric school buses cost more than diesel buses, but that will change as more are sold, and there are government and utility plans to help fund new buses.

Electric buses cost 60% less to operate and maintain. There are fewer moving parts in electric buses so fewer repairs are needed.

They charge while schoolchildren sleep and are ready for the next day’s runs.

If electric buses rely on electricity from coal, oil, and gas, do they really help reduce pollution?

Yes. The air is cleaner and our children are safer, because there are no direct tailpipe emissions from an electric bus. But to really clean up our air and safeguard our climate, the entire electricity grid needs to get cleaner and more resilient as well.

Is it as simple as buying a new bus and plugging it in?

Fleets of electric buses will require charging stations, and grids will have to be ready to handle the new demand.

The good news is that transitioning the school bus fleet to all-electric can help expand and stabilize our electricity system, providing surplus energy storage through the engine batteries.

“Vehicle to Grid” technology allows electric buses to sell stored electricity back into the grid at times of high demand. Electric buses can even serve as mobile power stations during power outages or emergencies.

Electric buses are ready to go. They’re up and running all over the country, in all types of weather and terrain. Several companies already manufacture them in the
United States.

How can we make electric school buses happen in our communities?

We support a complete nationwide transition to electric school buses as a way to reduce the harmful pollution our kids breathe and to help solve the climate crisis.

Lawmakers should fund grant programs and research initiatives to help schools transition to cleaner buses and improve the technology. These programs should prioritize those communities already struggling with high levels of air pollution and childhood asthma.