Interest in purchasing electric school buses (ESBs) was much higher this year at the NJ School Boards Association workshop, held in Atlantic City, October 23 and 24.
Bill Beren, NJ Chapter Transportation Committee chair and ExCom member; Kip Cherry, ExCom member and conservation chair for the Central Group; and Tony Hagen, Jersey Sierran editor, attended the conference to help stimulate interest and promote funding opportunities for ESB purchases.
“There was considerable interest at the conference in ESBs, much more than the previous year,” Cherry said. “This time people were more apt to stop and talk, and virtually all had some sense that electric school buses are coming.”
Although ESBs are a big-ticket item, New Jersey schools have ordered roughly 200, assisted by state funding, and the Environmental Protection Agency is accepting applications through the end of January 2024 for funding through the $5 billion Clean School Bus Program. Now is the time for schools to apply to be selected in 2024.
There are roughly 15,000 diesel school buses on New Jersey’s roads.
“We need to replace 1000 per year in order to replace all 15,000 in the fleet over a 15-year period,” Cherry said.
“The Fair Lawn district told us that when they didn’t get a grant, they were forced to buy two diesels,” Cherry said. “We need to make sure districts ready to buy have the grant funding they need.”