By Nate A. Baguio
In the last five years, you may have seen yellow school buses in your neighborhood but have not heard them or watched exhaust fumes engulf the trees, sidewalks or roads. This is because more and more school districts have taken advantage of transitioning from diesel-fueled school buses to clean, zero-emission ones.
School superintendents, transportation directors, and fleet owners/operators have realized why it makes sense to invest in electric school buses (ESBs) for all communities – rural, underserved, urban, suburban and tribal.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 25 million children in America ride school buses on daily basis, and data shows that replacing just one diesel school bus with an electric one can decrease greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 54,000 pounds annually, eliminating harmful pollutants.
This isn’t surprising, considering that in the last 33 years I have worked in the transportation industry – driven school buses, negotiated sales, and managed teams, and experienced first-hand how the market has evolved. We have seen how the yellow school bus has been reimagined, resulting in positive impacts for the American economy, the environment and public health.
In the last two years, historic federal investments have been made in electrification, enabling qualifying school districts to utilize funds for the purchase of electric school buses and the charging infrastructure.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) has allocated $5 billion in the next five years for diesel-powered school buses to be replaced with clean, all-electric ones. It is through these monies that the EPA established the Clean School Program, which just completed its second round of grant applications by having eligible school districts apply for funding.
Furthermore, states such as California, Illinois and Michigan have also allocated millions of dollars toward the adoption of electric vehicles, including school buses. Elected officials, advocacy and policy groups, school districts and fleet owners/operators have worked tirelessly, and collaboratively to push for a move toward more electric school buses.
They understand the value that zero-emission school buses deliver to communities, especially low-income ones, which are especially susceptible to the effects of diesel pollution since 60% of children from disadvantaged families ride diesel-powered school buses, compared to 45% of children from families with higher incomes.
Our own research shows that organizations that switch to zero-emission school buses see up to 80% energy costs reduction and a decrease of as much as 60% in maintenance costs.
There is also ample evidence that exposure to diesel emissions for children can also lead to respiratory diseases—and aggravate conditions such as asthma, which affects nearly 6.3 million U.S. children, making it the most common long-term childhood disease in America.
Additionally, the American Lung Association has conducted studies that show how particle pollution can harm the health of adults and lead to illnesses, heart attacks, strokes, and metabolic diseases.
We have also seen that as the demand for electric vehicles grows, there are more job opportunities – from engineering to being a warehouse worker and to assembling an electric truck or bus.
Along with specific skillsets, individuals and teams should understand that flexibility and patience are key when new products and technologies are being developed and that the industry is fast-paced and constantly evolving.
It is also important for jobs in clean manufacturing transportation and technology to reflect the diversity and inclusivity that make up today’s global economy.
Teams that are diverse and inclusive and have members with varying degrees of experience can lead to more out of the box thinking, to identifying best practices, and to delivering products and services to stay ahead of the competition.
All the benefits that I’ve outlined above are reasons why schools should move toward clean, zero-emission school buses – stronger economy, better health, cleaner air, and a sustainable ecosystem.
Nate A. Baguio is the senior vice president of Commercial Development – USA for Lion Electric, an innovative manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles, www.thelionelectric.com.
