This is a classic example of bureaucratic blindness to unintended consequences and projects that might sound rational in theory but end up absurd in practice. [some emphasis, links added]
New York has mandated that all school bus purchases must be entirely electric by 2027, citing cleaner air, “better academic outcomes,” a quieter, more peaceful ride for students and staff, among other seemingly bogus reasons.
Now that schools across the state are making the transition, one school district in western New York, the Lake Shore Central School District, is confronting a downside: heating.
WIVB News 4, a local news outlet in Erie County, New York, has received several calls from parents alleging that their kids come home freezing because drivers turn down or completely turn off the heat to save energy for the electric engines.
“The heaters on the bus run off the same electricity as the bus itself,” Scott Ziobro, a local parent, told the outlet. “They were told that it drains the battery capacity of the bus itself.”
“My grandson came home from school last week when it was 23 degrees. 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,’” Lynn Urbino said.
Another parent reported that an electric bus broke down, leaving the kids stranded in the cold.
“The bus broke down en route,” parent Chris Lampman told the outlet. “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. Some of those kids are on there for upwards of half an hour or more while the bus makes its route. There’s no reason that the kids should freeze for all that time.”
The district operates 23 electric buses, in addition to four full-size diesel buses and 24 gasoline buses, WIVB News 4 reported.
Thanks to a $7.9 million federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the district was able to purchase 20 electric buses in June, according to the outlet.
The Biden administration previously provided billions in grants or rebates for school districts to replace gas buses with electric ones through the EPA Clean School Bus Program, which was funded by former President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Superintendent Phil Johnson maintains the buses will hold up, even in very chilly winter weather.
“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,” Johnson said in a statement. “The district values its transportation staff and continues to provide training and support to ensure students and staff are safely transported.”
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority also claims that electric school buses can still keep their heat cranking despite the weather.
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