Could Yellow School Buses be Turning Green in the Hudson Valley?
A new plan could have every Hudson Valley yellow school bus green by 2035.
2035 seems like a lifetime away but by then if New York Governor Kathy Hochul has her way all yellow school buses on the roads in New York will be electric and only electric.
According to News 10, the Governor plans to introduce legislation that will require any company and or school district in the state that plans on purchasing any new school buses in 2027 or after that those school buses be electric.
There are currently over 50,000 diesel school buses on the road across the state of New York with hundreds if not thousands in the Hudson Valley and according to members of the Electrify New York Coalition, all of those buses are a major source of pollution which can lead to numerous health problems for children.
Pollution and health problems are the main reason behind the coalition asking for $300 million in funding that would help reach the goal of only electric busses by 2035. The switch to electric buses should The group says that eliminating the diesel-powered buses would help New York get closer to its climate goals and protect the health of all New Yorkers.
An Electrify New York member told News 10, "pollution that kids and communities are breathing in every time a bus passes them or idles in their neighborhood, you don’t have that with electric buses, you eliminate that part."
Diesel vs Electric, How much does a new school bus cost?
If a school or company goes to buy a new school bus today a new diesel-powered school bus starts around $90,000 and could top out around $200,000, depending on the size and type of bus. Back in 2018, an electric school bus price tag started at around 290,000 but as the years have passed and the technology has become more accessible those prices have dropped a bit according to Gregory Poole. Electric school buses may cost more upfront but they do have fewer moving parts, which over time results in having to spend less money on maintenance.