ALBANY – Assemblywoman Paula Kay (D, Rock Hill) is voicing her support for a new mandate that would delay by five years the deadline for districts to begin purchasing only electric buses as fleets are updated.
The change means school districts would have five more years, until 2032, before they must stop buying buses with combustion engines. Originally, the deadline was set for 2027, though lawmakers last year gave districts the option to postpone the date by two years.
The effort to convert tens of thousands of fuel-powered buses to rechargeable vehicles is part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to reduce emissions while increasing the use of renewable energy. Some school superintendents have criticized the change, arguing it is not cost effective and create challenges on long bus routes during cold winters.
“This is great news for our schools and our wallets,” Kay said. “Rural upstate New York is not ready for the imposition of electric buses. They are not practical based on the cost, length of our school runs, early dismissals, or the geography of our rural roads.”
School districts will now have until 2040 to fully transition their bus fleets to electric vehicles. Under the original regulations, districts were required to begin purchasing only electric buses by next year and complete the conversion of their entire fleets by 2035.
The proposed measure is part of the second of 10 bills that state lawmakers are expected to take up over the next week ahead of final approval of this year’s state budget. Kay also advocated for a key portion of the legislation stating that, by the 2028-29 school year, school districts across the state would be required to provide full-day pre-K access to all eligible 4-year-old children whose families apply for the services.
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