Please give us a general overview of where things stand with electric school buses today. Where do you see the industry right now?
I’ d say we’ re rolling along nicely. It’ s actually been a steady flow of new buses getting on the road, and we are looking ahead to sometime this year when EPA is expected to release the next round of funding under the Clean School Bus Program. That’ s really exciting because, as you may know, it’ s the largest source of funding for the electric school buses currently on the road. There are certainly a lot of other funding sources as well, including various state programs that have been active for quite some time, but we continue to see momentum, continued interest in the technology, and more school districts hopping on board. I think that’ s especially important because there have been some headwinds in recent years around various federal funding and incentive programs. But the Clean School Bus Program remains intact, and EPA recently issued a request for information connected to the next funding opportunity. So we’ re seeing positive movement there as well.
Tell us more about the Electric School Bus Initiative. What is the mission behind it, and what impact do you hope it has on the industry?
The Electric School Bus Initiative was created nearly five years ago as a partnership between World Resources Institute and the Bezos Earth Fund. Since then, we’ ve intentionally added many additional partners across the ecosystem. That ecosystem approach is really one of the defining elements of our work. Another key focus has been building support within underserved communities and ensuring that communities most burdened by pollution have access to the opportunities and benefits associated with electric school buses. We work with NGOs, utilities, manufacturers, school districts, operators— really the whole gamut. Those partnerships have been a huge part of the incredible momentum we’ ve seen. Electric school buses first hit the road in 2014 in California, and today we have at least one electric school bus, and often many more, operating in 49 states plus Washington, D. C., along with several territories and tribal nations. We’ re now at more than 14,000 committed electric school buses nationwide. That means buses that are already on the road or have secured funding and are on the way. In 2020, there were fewer than 1,000. We also like to focus on the students benefiting from the technology. In 2020, an estimated 14,000 students rode electric school buses. Today, that number has grown to more than 275,000 students. We reached another major milestone last year when 7.5 percent of all school bus sales were electric. For comparison, light-duty EV sales in the U. S. during that same period were around 8 percent. Beyond the environmental benefits, we hear a lot from parents and districts about how much quieter electric school buses are and how that creates a calmer atmosphere for students. We’ ve also heard from schools about how beneficial that can be for students with special needs. Another area of growing interest is resiliency. Electric school buses are essentially giant batteries on wheels. Utilities and school districts are increasingly exploring vehicle-to-grid applications, where buses can help support the electric grid during periods of high demand. We’ re also seeing growing interest in vehicle-to-building applications and virtual power plant programs that aggregate bus batteries as a grid resource.
It’ s been an exciting opportunity to help bring these benefits into communities.
You touched on some of the student benefits already, but can you talk more about how electric school buses create healthier and more supportive environments for students?
The health benefits are really at the core of why we’ re doing this work. Diesel exhaust pollutants are linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and asthma remains one of the leading causes of absenteeism among students. Reducing students’ exposure to diesel emissions can have a very real impact on their health and wellbeing. We also hear consistently about how much quieter electric buses are. That quieter environment can help students arrive at school calmer and more ready to learn. About 20 percent of students who ride school buses have disabilities, so creating a calmer atmosphere can be especially meaningful.
One thing that sometimes gets overlooked is the longterm economic impact of electric school buses. How do you see districts benefiting financially over time?
The buses are more expensive upfront, which is why incentive programs like the Clean School Bus Program and state funding programs are so important.
12 | SCHOOL-BUSRIDE. COM | MAY 2026