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Parents in Western New York are sounding the alarm about cold rides and breakdowns after officials determined that all school bus purchases must be electric by 2027.
Local station WIVB reported that the law has angered parents in the Lake Shore Central School District. The station received “several calls” via the electric buses, with parents claiming their children were freezing when they got home from school.
According to WIVB, the district operates 23 electric buses, 24 gasoline buses and four full-size diesel buses.
“The heaters on the bus run on the same electricity as the bus itself,” Scott Ziobro, a local parent, told WIVB. “They were told it drains the battery capacity of the bus itself.”
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Some students in the Lake Shore Central School District (not pictured) have returned home cold after riding the bus without heat. (iStock / iStock)
Several parents told the outlet they had heard of at least one case of the buses breaking down, in addition to problems with the heating.
Chris Lampman, a concerned parent, claimed a bus “broke down along the way.”
“They deployed a replacement bus and the bus was over half an hour late,” said Lampman. “My son stood outside for over 35 minutes, waiting for a bus that didn’t come.”
“Some of those kids are there for over half an hour or more while the bus travels its route,” he added. “There’s no reason why the kids should be freezing all this time.”
Local grandmother Lynn Urbino told WIVB she was shocked when her grandson told her his bus had no heat.
Parents in Western New York have reported heating problems and delays with the newly mandated electric school buses. (iStock / iStock)
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“My grandson came home from school last week when it was 75 degrees,” Urbino said. ‘He said they had no heat. He came in cold and I said to him, ‘Isn’t the bus warm?’ And he said, ‘No, they can’t turn on the heat because it will drain the battery.'”
Superintendent Phil Johnson told WIVB in a statement that he is aware of the complaints and that the school district’s transportation procedures require heat.
“All routes are planned so that the battery capacity of the electric bus is more than sufficient to support both the route and continuous heating, even in winter weather,” Johnson said. “The district values its transportation workforce and continues to provide training and support to ensure students and staff are transported safely.”
“We appreciate the efforts of our staff in navigating our transition to electric buses as required by NYS,” the statement said.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority website claims electric school buses can keep the heat on in cold weather.
Concerned parents say electric buses struggle to keep children warm, especially on long winter journeys. (iStock / iStock)
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“Although the range of the batteries may be reduced in cold weather, they are still sufficient to operate most local bus routes,” the website says, according to WIVB.
