Please take this short online survey from the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club about your current school bus inventory and operating requirements.
The survey data will help develop a funding strategy to replace the state’s school buses with electric buses by 2035. Most school buses in New Jersey run on diesel fuel.
Complete the survey by April 22.
Please submit only one response to the survey per school district. Ideally, the respondent would be either the district’s business administrator or the transportation coordinator.
Your answers will help because:
- $5 billion in funding for electric school buses nationally will soon be available from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
- The cost to convert all of New Jersey’s estimated working 22,284 school buses to electric in the next 15 years is estimated at over $5 billion. (These include 9,412 buses owned by school districts or other governmental agencies, 12,072 buses owned by private bus contractors and 800 school buses owned by nonprofits or private educational institutions, based on an incremental cost of $250,000 compared to diesel buses.)
- Your answers will help stakeholders create a plan for New Jersey to secure appropriate funding to convert fleets to electric.
Studies have shown that kids are exposed to harmful pollutants both inside and outside diesel school buses, including NOx, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons. Electric buses, however, have zero tailpipe emissions. Estimates are that diesel school buses emit 5.3 million tons of greenhouse gases yearly versus near zero for electric school buses.
Don’t let New Jersey be one of the last states to act on this! In New York State, for example, new school buses purchased after 2027 must be zero emission electric. Colorado’s 2022 budget plan includes $250 million for electric school buses.
The NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club is working with state legislators on bills to allocate an additional $45 million for electric school buses. Its Electric School Bus Web Page has resources to help districts navigate the conversion process, including a detailed school district buyers’ guide for electric school buses.
Remember: Take the survey by April 22.
If you have questions about the survey, email the Sierra Club’s New Jersey Chapter.