Barker will have electric school buses in 2024-25
May 2—Electric school buses could be deployed in Niagara County as soon as next year.
Superintendent Jacob Reimer said Barker Central School District is expecting to get 12 of these "clean" buses by the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
Barker is one of about 400 school districts across the country that received federal funding to acquire electric buses.
Blue Bird Body Co., the applicant organization for the Barker district, will receive $4.7 million for the buses, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Reimer said the implementation of electric bus transportation has been relatively well received within his district, noting that the biggest benefit is it will reduce the district's carbon footprint.
The unknown is proving to be one of the biggest concerns, however.
"From a busing standpoint, this is a still new concept," Reimer said.
He specifically pointed to concerns that the buses may not be able to complete longer routes on a single charge, and what the district would do if something goes wrong with one of the buses.
Initially, Reimer said, Barker will rely on a mix of electric and traditional diesel buses to address these potential issues.
Other school districts in the area have similar concerns about electric buses.
Business administrator Carolyn Oliveri said the Wilson district is not actively looking to utilize electric buses, as district leaders question their current capabilities. One issue is transportation of school athletic teams to away games.
"We drive far for some events because of the section we're in," Oliveri said.
Since most districts do not own their buses and contract other companies to provide them, changes to infrastructure — such as the implementation of electric charging stations — would occur at the bus company's facilities as opposed to school grounds. Some district leaders worry that will contribute to higher prices when they renegotiate their busing contracts.
Like most other districts in Niagara County, Newfane is taking a "wait and see approach" to electric buses.
"There's no real movement the district is making anytime soon," superintendent Michael Baumann said. "It's not well thought out in terms of infrastructure or cost."
Whether school districts are actively looking into making the switch or not, New York State has set forth some markers for them.
According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the state's budget for FY 2022-2023 mandated that, beginning in 2027, all new school buses must be zero emission, and by 2035, all buses must be electric.
