WNY News Now

(WNY News Now) – Albany, NY – In an open letter Senator George Borrello and 14 Republican colleagues urge Governor Hochul to repeal electric bus mandates or ensure full funding for the conversion, cautioning potential tax hikes for local property owners.

December 14, 2023
Hon. Kathy Hochul, Governor
Executive Chamber
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Hochul,

As a new legislative session approaches, school officials have been urging me to ‘tell Albany’ that the state’s
electric bus mandate is a major concern. The extremely high costs of electric buses, the short transition timeline
and the logistical challenges are all problems they believe have not been adequately addressed.
On behalf of these schools and the communities they serve, I am requesting that you include in your
Executive Budget a provision to rescind the electric bus mandate or commit to fully funding the
conversion.

With the first mandate scheduled for 2027, just three years from now, school budget officers are looking ahead
at their capital costs and concerned about where the funds will come from. A new, full-size electric bus costs
$400,000 – $450,000 – triple the price of a conventional bus which is approximately $130,000.
With 45,000 school buses in the state, full conversion by 2035 will cost approximately $20 billion. The cost
over and above what school districts already pay for replacement buses is projected at between $8 billion and
$15 billion statewide. These totals don’t even include the required infrastructure upgrades including installation
of charging stations, electrical improvements, bus garage renovations and so on.

Without question, the $100 million in grants the state just made available for electric school bus purchases
won’t be nearly enough. That amount is enough to fund about 250 buses statewide. With over 800 school
districts statewide, that isn’t even one bus per district. Even the additional $400 million to be allocated in future
rounds won’t make a dent in the cost of conversion.

Unless the state commits to fully funding the transition or taking the common-sense step of eliminating
the mandate, the costs of this politically driven initiative will fall on already-overburdened local property
taxpayers.

That is unacceptable and I hope you agree.

Funding isn’t the only problem with this mandate. There are other issues particularly important to rural districts
that haven’t been adequately considered. Frigid temperatures decrease traveling range, which could affect
school bus routes in the coldest portions of the state. School buses are also used for other purposes including
trips to athletic events and field trips, which often involve exceeding the roughly 100 mile range a bus can travel
on a single charge.

Additionally, in rural communities and small communities around NY, many bridges are not rated to handle the
increased weight of electric buses. A typical 72-passenger diesel school bus weighs 24,300 pounds.
A 72-passenger electric bus weighs 36,000 pounds.

Overall, the electric bus mandate, like much of New York’s climate agenda, is being rushed into place without
adequate funding, regional flexibility or input from stakeholders. Those who stand to lose the most from this
unfunded mandate are, once again, New York State taxpayers.

The new legislative session will offer opportunities to protect school districts and taxpayers from the
unsustainable financial burden that will result from this rushed mandate. My colleagues and I would value the
opportunity to work together toward this goal.