New York State’s electric bus mandate is causing concerns.

And just not in schools.

State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, continues his fight against rising costs associated with the mandate.

A pilot program, Borrello said, would better serve future needs, and help save money.

Schools have been mandated to change all of their buses over to electric or zero-emission buses by 2035. The state also has a goal that all buses sold in New York State be electric or zero-emission by 2027. The New York State Electric School Bus Roadmap and The Electric School Bus Guidebook are meant to help schools reach these goals.

Borrello said he has spoken with several school superintendents throughout his district and many of them have voiced their concerns.

“Right now this program, this mandate is woefully underfunded to the tune of multiple billions of dollars. Some school districts are looking at multi-million dollar changes to electric infrastructure,” Borrello said.

Borrello added that in some school districts, residents are voting down the purchases.

In the Bemus Point School District, residents in September 2024 voted down the purchase of two new electric school buses 143-132. With that vote, the community did not approve a bond anticipation note to be able to move forward with the Environmental Protection Agency award.

The district was awarded a 2023 EPA Rebate Award as a part of the Clean School Bus Program. The 2023 EPA Clean School Bus Rebate Award is a federal award that comes in the form of $400,000 all together, so $200,000 per bus. Other financial incentives the district would have been able to get with the award includes a NYSBIP Voucher, which allows for $147,000 per bus, a NYSBIP Rebate which gives $55,000 per charger, the Federal Tax Program which gives $40,000 per bus and to have National Grid cover 90% of costs to upgrade the bus garage for the entire electric fleet.

With all of these incentives, the purchasing of the buses would be tax neutral.

Borrello noted, during a recent New York State joint legislative budget hearing, schools now will have to start making choices between providing critical education services, “so they can meet this ridiculous boondoggle mandate. Why don’t we push for a pilot program?”

New York State Education Department Deputy Commissioner Jason Harmon noted that 54 districts out of about 600 in the state have reported that there are zero-emission buses in their fleets. Harmon said the number is expected to grow over the next couple of years.

Since November 2024, Pine Valley School District has been using a zero-emission bus.

Borrello said that the cost of electric buses, and the cost of gas-powered buses are vastly different. Add in the cost of infrastructure to recharge buses is another huge cost. Borrello asked if districts will be punished if districts can’t meet the mandates.

NYSED Chief Financial Officer Christina Coughlin said even though NYSED is not the lead agency for the mandate, NYSED is trying to provide as much support as it can to districts.

“We share your concern,” Coughlin said. “We are hearing the same thing as you are.”

Harmon supports doing cost-impact studies for school districts. “Being able to provide support for studies to be done is essential.”

Borrello has introduced Bill S.9941 to require all electric school buses and the major components thereof that are purchased by New York school districts are manufactured in the United States. The legislation would also make it clear that the requirement to purchase electric school buses can be waived in the event that such purchases would result in unreasonable costs or would not otherwise be in the public interest.

“By mandating that the electric school buses and their components be manufactured and assembled in the United States, New York taxpayers will be supporting the U.S. economy and promoting a much better environmental outcome, especially since US manufactures face strict environmental standards,” Borrello wrote in 2024.