Electric School Buses Are Coming To Virginia, But Require Steady Funding

  • Nearly one million Virginian students ride a school bus each day, many of which run on diesel fuel which is harmful to health.

  • A new state law sets up a fund to replace diesel school buses with electric buses, but the law provides no funding mechanism. 

  • Some money from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust has been used to provide school divisions with electric buses, but a consistent stream of funding will be necessary to reduce carbon emissions and keep students healthy

For many students in Virginia, heading back to school means getting back on the school bus each morning and afternoon. Nearly one million Virginian students ride a school bus to and from school, on field trips, and to school-related athletic activities each day; school divisions throughout the state operate over 15,000 school buses. And nationwide, 25 million students rely on rides from roughly 480,000 school buses to commute to their classrooms. Unfortunately, 95% of these buses nationwide run on diesel fuel, which is harmful to student’s health and a major source of pollution. These dirty school buses are part of the reason that most carbon emissions in Virginia come from the transportation sector. 

In an effort to curb carbon emissions and protect students’ health, a bill was signed into state law earlier this year that aims to phase out Virginia’s diesel school buses, replacing them with electric buses. The law, which attracted bipartisan support in the General Assembly, sets up the Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program. This program awards funding to school divisions to assist with the cost of purchasing electric school buses and implementing the necessary charging infrastructure. The law specifies that school divisions with a high percentage of students with asthma are first in line for the new electric buses.

The good news is that Virginia is taking school bus electrification efforts seriously, and doing so in a way that prioritizes those most in need of clean, efficient transportation. The bad news is that the law was passed without a funding mechanism. 

Thanks to the $93.6 million allotted to Virginia through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, the state is able to distribute a limited amount of funds to localities to begin the phasing out of diesel buses. The Department of Environmental Quality, which administers the Volkswagen funds, has set aside $82 million for clean transportation projects in the commonwealth; a total of $20 million is earmarked for clean school buses. The first round of grants was distributed to 19 school districts earlier this summer, providing funds to replace 83 diesel school buses. Applications for the next round of funding will be made available in October. 

Additional funding streams for the Electric Vehicle Grant Fund and Program could be made available by the federal government. The Biden administration has made replacing 20% of American school buses with electric buses a priority. The American Jobs Plan, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support last month, could include funding for school bus electrification efforts if it passes the House of Representatives.

As Virginia seeks to significantly reduce its carbon emissions over the course of the next couple of decades, the electrification of school buses and the implementation of necessary charging infrastructure will become more important. Underscoring this, another bill signed into law this year directs the SCC to deliver policy recommendations to the General Assembly on how to best facilitate the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles like school buses and airport vehicles. To meet clean energy goals and to protect the health of Virginia’s students, the General Assembly should prioritize securing funding for the electrification of the state’s school buses during the next legislative session.

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