OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen
Guests in attendance at a recent event at Pine Valley Elementary School looked under the hood of an electric school bus from the Gates Chili Central School District.
The district recently ordered an electric school bus to eventually implement to its fleet of buses.
“I think that the market is going to shift really quickly, and we wanted to get ahead of the game to see how it was usable here in our district at Pine Valley,” said Pine Valley Transportation Director Kristin Sercu.
New York state “established a nation-leading commitment” to require all new school bus purchases to be zero emission vehicles by 2027. Additionally, by 2035, all school buses in operation will be required to be electric vehicles.
Knowing that a shift is coming, Pine Valley wanted to get its first vehicle as soon as possible, before the demand skyrockets and the wait time and cost both increase.
Pictured is an electric school bus from the Gates Chili Central School District in Rochester.
“We have a lot of reservations in the community and outside the community in Chautauqua County around the electric bus technology, but we also know that this is something that we’re going to need to start embracing due to the legislation saying that we need to have an emission-free fleet by 2035,” Pine Valley Superintendent Bryna Moritz said.
Pine Valley welcomed the opportunity to be a leader, rather than a bystander when it comes to making the transition.
“I just hope people will keep an open mind and realize we’re doing the best we can to be fiscally responsible to our taxpayers and to our community here,” Sercu said. “Stepping out to be the first in our area feels exciting.”
Sercu spoke with Lake Shore Transportation Supervisor Perry Oddi and other supervisors throughout the region who have implemented electric vehicles in their transportation system. Lake Shore recently implemented an electric bus to its fleet of vehicles this school year.
“For us, it was digging into the right product for our district, what it would look like, and how quickly to move,” Sercu said.
The district recently brought in an electric bus from the Gates Chili Central School District in Rochester and hosted representatives from Matthews Buses Inc. as the community witnessed the ribbon cutting on the district’s new playground. Guests were provided rides on the electric bus to experience the vehicle for themselves.
“The one thing I’ve noticed is, when you ride on an electric school bus, the actual student experience is very different than on a diesel bus. It’s quieter — students can socialize, they can read. … For the student experience, it’s a great thing,” Moritz said.
At the community event, the vehicle’s noise was so minimal that the bus was running as Sercu spoke to passengers and answered questions before departing on a route through the community. Some guests did not even realize the vehicle was running before it pulled out of the bus loop.
The minimal noise not only helps with socialization and students’ ability to focus on schoolwork or reading. Limited noise also can be a major benefit to students and passengers with sensory processing disorders.
Another added benefit is the potential to limit bullying, as the sound of an electric bus is so much quieter, words uttered during transit can be heard much clearer by a driver or bus monitors. The bus on display also featured multiple cameras, to not only monitor student behavior, but also to view oncoming traffic in the event that vehicles do not obey the rules of the road.
The cost of implementing a fully electric fleet presents a daunting challenge for school districts throughout the state over the coming years. To assist in the transition, NYSERDA offers multiple programs including the Clean School Bus Program Grant, the Medium- and Heavy-Duty EV Make Ready pilot program, the FlexTech Program, the P-12 Clean Green Schools Initiative, and the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program. More information on of these programs is available online at nyserda.ny.gov.
Related to the cost of transitioning to electric vehicles, Sercu said, “I think for every district it’s going to look a little bit different. We’re looking into some funding through NYSERDA to see how that can be used to support the cost. … As the state and government makes more funds available, we’ll look to expand from there.”
The district is well aware that the community and residents throughout the state are skeptical of the transition to electric vehicles.
“We have a community that hasn’t necessarily experienced this technology. We want to try it before we’re forced to buy multiple – and let them get exposed to it. We can learn about it, figure out what the pitfalls are, and what the rewards are,” Moritz said.
The recent experience the district offered the community was the first step in a long process of easing the community’s concerns.
“I think you really have to fact-check the information that’s out there and not be afraid to dig a little bit deeper,” Sercu said of commonly raised concerns. “I encourage people to reach out all the time if they have questions about the things that I’m learning.”
