There was a very big mandate that was going to be happening in New York State and it just might be optional if some lawmakers have their way.

Right now in New York State, Governor Hochul has a law in place that all vehicles must be electric by a certain time. For school districts, they must stop purchasing gas powered buses by 2027 and completely phase them out by 2035 and then have all electric school buses going forward.

The transition to electric school buses is not a matter of choice—it’s a matter of necessity for New York’s children, communities, and workers" argues some critics  according to TimesUnion.com.

Lawmakers, especially on the Republican side in New York State are saying that it is just an unrealistic financial demand on school districts and have presented a bill to make the mandate an optional decision for New York State school districts.

This school bus mandate was passed in the budget with no cost analysis given, no feasibility study given, no safety analysis, and no ensuring that it’s sourced with US parts,” said Assemblyman Phil Palmesano accoridngt o WHEC.com.

 

Why is there such a debate on the buses over whether they are gas or electric powered? 

The cost to change the school buses and get all new fleets is a massive cost to school districts including getting all new buses, removing gas stations and getting new electric power charging stations. The buses, when they are electric, are argued to being cheaper but it would take lifetimes in order to see the savings some are arguing. Another concern that we were thinking of is: Is there even enough power to sustain all of these vehicles flipping from gas to electric? It is something that can cause problems in the future.