Electric School Buses Bring Higher Costs for Districts

New mandates require electric buses, but operating expenses are significantly more than diesel counterparts.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 9:49pm

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Several states have implemented mandates requiring school districts to purchase zero-emission electric school buses, but a new report highlights the higher operating costs these districts are facing compared to traditional diesel buses. The Naples Central School District in New York shared that they pay about $3.18 per mile to operate their electric buses, compared to just 36 cents per mile for diesel buses. The district's superintendent said the $300,000 difference in cost per bus is too much for their small district to absorb, making it difficult to transition their entire fleet to electric.

Why it matters

As states push for more environmentally-friendly electric school buses, the higher operating costs are creating financial challenges for school districts, especially smaller ones with tight budgets. This raises questions about how to make the transition to electric buses more affordable for taxpayers and school systems.

The details

The report examined the experience of the Naples Central School District in New York, which used federal grants to purchase two electric buses. The district's transportation director said the electric buses perform better in some ways, like getting up hills and offering a smoother ride, but their battery life is heavily impacted by temperature extremes. He noted that about 20% of the battery charge was used just to heat the buses during the winter, requiring midday recharging. When comparing operating costs, the district pays about 36 cents per mile for diesel buses, but $3.18 per mile for electric - a significant difference. The superintendent said the $300,000 higher cost per electric bus is too much for their small district to afford, making it difficult to transition their entire fleet as mandated.

  • New York's electric school bus purchase mandate takes effect in 2027 for all new school bus purchases, with a fleet-wide goal of 2035.
  • California's new electric school bus purchase mandate will take effect in 2035, with five-year extensions available for rural school districts.

The players

Naples Central School District

A school district in New York that has been using two electric school buses for almost two full school years after receiving federal grants.

Pat Elwell

The transportation director and head mechanic at the Naples Central School District.

Kevin Swartz

The superintendent of the Naples Central School District.

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What they’re saying

“The electric on the other hand is all over the place because you never know from month to month what it's going to be, so by the time you start factoring in your kilowatt-hour for the supply and the delivery and all the other charges just the same as you would for your diesel bill, we're paying $3.18 per mile for an electric bus.”

— Pat Elwell, Transportation director and head mechanic

“Typically, that's $600,000 in additional monies that the taxpayers would have to come up with and that's exclusive of any charging or infrastructure upgrades we'd have to bring in if we went any further.”

— Kevin Swartz, Superintendent

What’s next

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The takeaway

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