The largest mass transit system in the U.S. in terms of daily travelers is school buses, with over 24 million students riding the bus each day. 90% of school buses currently run on diesel, but students across the country are advocating for school bus electrification. Electrifying school buses will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce costs of both fuel and maintenance, and eliminate health risks from diesel exhaust. Classified as a known carcinogen, diesel exhaust pollution also increases the risk of cancer, asthma, and respiratory and heart diseases. Electric school buses could bring the U.S. an estimated $1.6 billion in health and climate benefits every year. Electrifying school buses is also an environmental justice issue: low-income students, students of color and students with disabilities are more likely to ride buses to school and are disproportionately impacted by exposure to diesel exhaust and pollution. An equitable transition will prioritize these historically underserved communities when allocating funding for electrification.
There has been rapid adoption and expansion of electric school buses in the U.S., with a jump from 1,226 electric buses in 2020 to over 14,000 in 2025. In 2023, New York became the first state to mandate a fully zero-emissions school bus fleet. Under the mandate, all new school buses purchased must be electric starting in 2027, with a fully zero-emissions electric fleet by 2035. The New York School Bus Incentive Program provides incentives for purchasing zero-emission buses, developing charging infrastructure, and fleet electrification plans for school districts. In July 2025, Governor Hochul announced an additional $200 million in funding for zero-emission school buses.
The federal Clean School Bus program was established under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide federal funding for electrifying school buses, prioritizing funding for low-income and historically underserved communities. Thus far, $3 billion has been awarded; it is unclear if the remaining $2 billion in funding will be made available under the Trump administration.
The World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative website is a key resource for understanding school bus electrification: it includes tools and resources for school districts, proposal templates, video tutorials, FAQs, cost calculations, ways to get engaged, a resources library, and a data dashboard on current progress.
Districts across the country are continuing to switch to electric. We're keeping track.
