Oswego School Officials Raise Concerns Over Electric Bus Mandate
OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego City School District says New York’s timeline for transitioning to electric school buses may be too ambitious, citing costs, infrastructure needs and emergency preparedness concerns.
Current state mandates require all new school bus purchases to be zero-emission by 2027, with full fleet conversion by 2035. Governor Kathy Hochul also announced a $100 million fund to help districts purchase electric buses.
But OCSD Superintendent Ray Kilmer says the transition presents major challenges for local districts.
“We’ve worked with National Grid to study the infrastructure needed, because the power demand to charge these buses is significant,” Kilmer said. “On top of that, we’d likely need major facility upgrades.”
Kilmer also pointed to the cost of the buses themselves.
“When you combine those costs with the fact that electric buses are more than double the price of diesel, it becomes a very expensive transition for districts,” he said.
The district also has concerns tied to emergency planning. Because Oswego is located within 10 miles of a nuclear facility, OCSD is part of regional evacuation plans.
“As a district within 10 miles of a nuclear plant, we’re required to evacuate students and assist the community in an emergency,” Kilmer said.
He says one of the biggest concerns is whether electric buses could handle multiple trips during an evacuation.
“The concern with electric buses is range—right now, we don’t know if they could make multiple trips without recharging,” Kilmer said. “In a real emergency, that uncertainty could impact our ability to safely evacuate everyone.”
New legislation introduced by N.Y Senator Chris Ryan would push back the state’s deadlines and create exemptions for districts near nuclear facilities.
As lawmakers debate the proposal, Kilmer says school districts need more time to determine whether the transition is realistic statewide.