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Tech-Forward Approach to Staffing

By: Tony Corpin

7 July 2025 at 17:59

Many school transportation operators I have spoken with lately continue to struggle with finding qualified school bus drivers, mechanics and fleet managers. But how are they marketing themselves?

Are we simply being out-marketed by other companies and industries that are seeking candidates in the same job categories? How do you compete against corporate giants like Amazon and Walmart for talent? Marketing to qualified candidates seeking jobs in 2025 demands forward-thinking. Social media platforms like TikTok (if your district allows it), YouTube Shorts, Facebook and Instagram continue to gain traction and popularity, and both offer paid and free opportunities.

Executing a paid media strategy allows you to fine tune your target audience within your hyperlocal community, using geographic and demographic data like relevant job titles, certifications (CDL holders) or interest groups to reach key candidates. That could be retirees looking for meaningful part-time work, a stay-at-home parent wanting mid-day flexibility in their schedule, military veterans with transferable logistics skills, or gig economy workers seeking stability.

My suggestion is to build a thoughtful and authentic content strategy. The team of school transportation professionals that work in your operation are your biggest assets. Those individuals can share stories of why your district or company is a great place to work. It’s word of mouth amplified to the Nth degree. Consider that a video can be used on your website, email and on social media platforms.

Making video clips of team members sharing experiences like a day-in-the-life showcases typical responsibilities of a bus driver or mechanic and gives prospects a realistic and relatable perspective. Testimonials are very powerful, too. Interviews or stories from current employees on job satisfaction, work-life balance and company culture make a real impact. Also, short form reels are great for quick engaging clips of team camaraderie, well-maintained buses, or “behind-the-scenes” fun.

Audience engagement is important for this type of campaign to work. Use ideas like behind-the-scenes tours highlighting facilities, buses, workshops or training areas to reduce job apprehension. Host an interactive Q&A session with HR or current employees to answer applicant questions in real time.

Prospective employees don’t just evaluate your fleet. They evaluate your investment in the overall experience you are demonstrating. That includes newer buses, modern GPS and routing software, and digital tools that streamline daily operations. These can be big selling points to a prospective employee.

Hiring the right people is just the beginning. Retaining them and helping them thrive requires consistent leadership, strategic investment and a culture that blends human empathy with technological support.

Once you’ve built your team, keeping them engaged is key. Many departments now use mobile apps and communication platforms to interact with staff in real time sending schedule updates, reminders and even recognition messages.

An emerging trend is the use of AI to track performance metrics like on-time arrivals, safety records or attendance to trigger personalized recognition or feedback. These tools make appreciation immediate, meaningful and data informed.

Competitive pay is still essential but so is a benefits package that reflects the real lives of employees. Districts offering flexible schedules, retention bonuses and easy-to-access benefits dashboards are seeing greater success in retaining drivers and technicians.

Some districts are providing monthly meals, wellness perks and even transportation specific, career development plans to deepen loyalty and satisfaction.

Positive reinforcement remains one of the most powerful tools for retention. From digital shout-outs to monthly awards, recognition programs create a culture of appreciation. Add ongoing professional development, mentorship and AI-driven training, and you’ve built a workplace people don’t want to leave.

And let’s not forget safety, as recognizing employees can result in a positive impact on performance and morale. Whether through improved communication, fewer accidents or higher job satisfaction, a valued employee is a safer, more committed one. As the world evolves, leaders in school transportation have a chance to embrace change while adjusting to the new standards and norms team members and prospective employees expect.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the June 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

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New York State of Charge

School Transportation News

By: Ryan Gray

23 June 2025 at 18:26

A curious thing happened in New York State last month. While it is normal each spring
for states to approve budgets for the coming fiscal year, and adding all sorts of funding
provisions, New York legislators took the opportunity to address school bus electrification.

What’s so abnormal about that, you ask? After all, the state is staring down a 2027 deadline for all school districts and bus contractors to only purchase zero-emission school buses, in other words battery-electric.

The budget added another year extension to 2029 for school districts demonstrating hardships in meeting the compliance date, and that’s a good thing. At the same time, legislators included a provision that seemingly makes selling and buying electric school buses that much harder.

Article 11-C calls for independent, third-party estimated range testing in all operating conditions. School bus dealers will need to provide real-world data (or as closely replicated as possible) that demonstrates how range is affected by different road conditions, topography and weather. And by Jan. 1, 2026, no less. While the industry
desperately needs accurate, real-world range estimates rather than perfect-world scenarios that don’t exist, the possibilities under this budget are arduously endless.

Like with most legislation, the devil is in the details. And this budget lacks a lot of it.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) administers the New York School Bus Incentive Program, which supports the adoption of electric school buses across the state. A spokesperson told me, “many engineering firms and other companies across the country focus on testing buses, which could include the range of buses.” But NYSERDA doesn’t maintain a list of names.

Institutions like West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions come to mind, but at what price? A representative there had not responded to my question on the feasibility of such a project. The logistics of each manufacturer shipping a year’s worth of electric school bus orders to a testing facility or facilities
makes no logistical or financial sense. Then, there’s the question of how to test. An electric vehicle expert I spoke with said testing an electric school bus on a dynamometer could cost well over $50,000.

That’s before finding a climate-controlled room to mimic all the different weather conditions not to mention road surfaces. It is certainly improbable if not impossible
to physically test drive each school bus on all conceivable types of routes throughout the state.

The NYSERDA spokesperson added that specialized equipment is not necessary, “just buses and a comprehensive testing plan to compare buses and track energy use and miles driven.”

But no such plan for school buses currently exists, according to industry insiders I spoke with. There is statistical data collection for other electric vehicles that could serve as a starting point. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory also has a free data logger that is compatible with telematics systems but is only working with a half-dozen fleets so far.

Meanwhile, the New York fine for noncompliance with the testing, enforced on Jan. 1, is $1,000 per bus. NYSERDA did not respond to a question on where fine revenues would go. Funding a program to help school districts purchase electric school buses and infrastructure would be a good place to start, or to fund the testing it calls for. But who’s to say school bus dealers don’t simply take the fine and proceed with the sale, and pass through the additional costs to customers?

I hear the provision was added to the budget by legislators as a counterbalance to extending the school district waiver and because of the contrast between OEM range estimates and actual range from the field. Expect ongoing discussions in Albany throughout the summer and fall. Realistic electric school bus range data is sorely needed,
there’s no question about that, and existing telematics data from each school bus model and each battery configuration is the key. Take that data and quantify by weather, road conditions and geography. I’m simplifying, of course. The challenge remains that there aren’t enough electric school buses on the nation’s roads yet, much less New York’s, to account for every type of route in every climate. But it’s a start.

The work needs to begin yesterday, or legislators need to fix the provision, to avoid a winter of discontent in the Empire State and possibly beyond.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the June 2025 issue of School Transportation News. NYSERDA responded to comments after the article went to print, noting that penalties for violations may be recovered by the attorney general, per Section 199-p of the General Business Law. Find more updated information on the state budget.

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A Purchasing Method Worth Considering: The Fixed Forward Fuel Contract

School Transportation News

By: Robert Pudlewski

16 June 2025 at 20:24

Fuel cost and fuel economy are always on the mind of school bus operations managers. With all the excellent business practices and school bus options promoting fuel efficiency, why don’t we take a moment to consider the idea of a fuel purchasing strategy to manage the volatility of fuel price and delivery during the school year.

Fix the price on a portion of your budgeted fuel purchase for the school year on a large portion of fuel and lock in on guaranteed delivery volumes to reduce the risk of a volatile fuel market. This practice is called a fixed forward fuel contract, the focus of this article.

Background
When I was vice president of purchasing for a large school bus operator, we used the fixed forward fuel contract process to lock in a portion of our fiscal year fuel supply. With the help of a supplier partner, we timed the optimum opportunity and entered into a contract to lock in fuel prices, and deliver a percentage of our total fuel usage for the upcoming school year. In doing so, we also left room in our annual fuel budget to withstand any potential downward trend in market price volatility.

Because of our fleet size and geographic footprint, it was not practical to enter a 100-percent supply purchase contract. We fixed only 50 percent of our fuel needs. During our first year of the fixed contract, we did experience unexpected volatility in market pricing. Because we had locked in pricing and delivery guarantees on a significant volume of our fuel and budgeted that fixed cost, an unexpected fuel price increase on the non-contract fuel was offset by the lower contract rate.

Our operating budget was achieved for the fiscal year. What did we learn? A typical fuel fixed price contract determines a set price per gallon delivered for a specified amount of time agreed upon by both parties. Fuel prices may fluctuate during that time, but the quantity and price you pay per gallon stays the same, due to the fuel contract in place. This guarantees supply and contributes to managing a budget and saving on overall fuel expenses.

By embracing this type of fuel purchasing practice and leveraging OEM technology solutions, school bus operators can enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and achieve their sustainability objectives in a changing energy landscape.

Components of a Fixed Fuel Price Contract
Whether you are purchasing diesel fuel, gasoline, propane, or another refined product, a fuel contract involves both a buyer and a seller. You, as the buyer, determine the average amount of fuel you need when and where. The seller guarantees timely delivery. When you enter into a fuel contract, understand your fuel needs. Daily, weekly and monthly consumption is key to avoiding overpromising or exceeding expected usage. It is never a good idea to contract 100 percent of your expected volume.

Confidence in your supplier is also a key aspect of entering into a fuel contract. Your supplier will help you to understand all the price components. The seller will provide you with a quote that should be based on the delivered price per gallon.

The price per gallon can vary by location depending on the type of fuel you need and market delivery conditions, such as crude oil pipeline cost to refineries, cost to ship to distribution storage tanks and delivery tanker cost from fuel storage terminals to your location.

Benefit No. 1: Decrease Volatility of Fuel Costs, Delivery
When you enter a fuel contract with a seller, you can spend less time worrying about fluctuating fuel market prices and availability.

A fuel contract can help ensure you always get fuel even when supplies are running low. When refineries or pipelines go down, it can cause scarcity and sky-high prices for the smallest of quantities. A fuel contract helps you lock in at a certain fuel price or price range, particularly when fuel market fluctuations may lead to higher prices for others.

Benefit No. 2: Better Forecasting
When you commit to a fuel price contract with a fuel seller, you can expect to avoid any unforeseen costs in- crease and can help protect your operating cost metric.

A fuel contract might take more work and expenses on the front end, but it can help you save significantly on future fuel prices in a market that is constantly changing.

Conclusion
School districts and bus companies that consume large volumes of fuel and do not investigate the variety of fuel contracts for a percentage of their fuel costs generally believe one of the following:

1. The district or company can pass on any and all increases in fuel prices to their taxpayers/customers, without a negative impact on their operating cost performance metric.

2. A downside of using fixed supply and price forward contracts is missing favorable fuel market cost reduction movements. One of the main risks of using a forward contract is the potential to miss out on favorable cost reductions. Once you lock in a rate, you must trade at that rate, despite any favorable market changes.

3. The district/company is confident that fuel prices are going to fall, and it is comfortable paying a higher price for fuel. In fact, that type of analysis proves all too often to be incorrect.

Use this article for an interesting and potentially worth while discussion with your fuel suppliers. Ask them for an opportunity to learn more details and explore the options they may have for supplier price and delivery contracts that best suit your school year fuel needs.

Be cautious. If the fuel supply market is highly volatile, a fixed forward contract can provide stability. However, in a stable or strengthening market, you might benefit more from spot transactions or more flexible options available from your fuel supplier.

Your fuel distributors wholesale supplier, oil companies and others all have sales departments dedicated to these methods of selling fuel.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the May 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

Robert Pudlewski is STN’s technical editor and a member of the National School Transportation Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his 40-plus-year career as a school bus maintenance, technology and procurement expert.

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Transportation Collaboration

School Transportation News

By: Tony Corpin

2 June 2025 at 20:38

STN EXPO East in March was quite the whirlwind. This year’s conference and trade show in North Carolina represented a new frontier on the East Coast, with nearly 95 percent of attendees participating at their first STN EXPO. With such a fresh and engaged audience, it was the perfect opportunity to foster more meaningful dialogue, share insights and strengthen collaboration.

A cornerstone of the networking is the Transportation Director Summit, a leadership-focused, two-day event tailored to industry decision-makers. This exercise shares ideas, identifies emerging challenges and charts the course forward for their organizations.

I facilitated the opening discussion that centered on a crowdsourced survey, which captured the pulse of current trends, operational challenges and procurement needs. The survey data highlighted a clear hierarchy of purchasing trends. Topping the list were cellular, radio
and communication systems, Type C and D buses, video security systems, student ridership verification/RFID/ parent communication apps, cleaner diesel buses, and fleet management and safety products.

I kicked off the TD Summit discussion with a question: “What is your biggest challenge for the upcoming school year?” Common themes quickly emerged—chief among them were staffing shortages and retention, illegal passing and student behavior on board school buses. These concerns underscore the need for comprehensive solutions that address both operational efficiency and safety.

Another topic of discussion was fuel choice and the transition to cleaner energy options. According to the survey results, fleet compositions are increasingly diverse: “Clean” diesel (88 percent), gasoline (55 percent), propane(31 percent), electric (29 percent), biodiesel (19 percent), and CNG (1 percent). Many transportation leaders expressed a commitment to exploring or expanding their use of greener, near-zero or zero-emission vehicles.

This shift is driven in part by federal and state environmental regulations from the EPA and California Air Resources Board. While the pace of adoption may vary, the trend toward sustainability is unmistakable. Forty-seven percent of survey respondents said their operations had applied or planned to apply for funding through the EPA Clean School Bus Program, while 39 percent had not, and 14 percent were still considering it.

Cabarrus County Schools purchased two electric school buses utilizing Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds through the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. “They have been a great addition to our fleet, and we are planning to add four more utilizing the EPA Clean School Bus funding,” shared Transportation Director Art Whittaker.

Sponsor participation from school bus OEMs, infrastructure providers, and CNG technology experts further enriched the conversation with insights offering valuable context to attendees evaluating the sustainable solutions that best align with their unique operational needs.

When asked for their top safety concerns, attendees overwhelmingly cited driver and student safety. Increased violence against school bus drivers as well as rising incidents of student conflict, are prompting discussions about how to enhance onboard security via technology.

A particularly alarming trend is the estimated 45.2 million illegal passing violations nationwide occurring during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.

“We have focused on a public awareness campaign to make drivers more aware of the dangers of passing a school bus to improve student safety,” said Nicole Portee, associate superintendent of Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. “The next step is considering advanced technology to address the issue.”

Finally, I asked attendees about their routing and scheduling challenges. Unsurprisingly, the feedback pointed to optimization and efficiency, particularly in the context of staffing shortages. The industry is witnessing a rise in the use of multi-modal transportation and alternative service providers, as districts and contractors adapt to workforce constraints and evolving student needs.

Transportation leaders’ responsibilities are vast, but so are the support network available through collaborative forums like the STN EXPO. TD Summit provides a secure and empowering environment, where peers openly share their struggles, brainstorm solutions and leave with actionable ideas to implement at home.

Our collective mission is to continuously improve the safety, sustainability and efficiency of student transportation. I invite you to continue the conversation and join us for the STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada, July 11–16. Together, we can keep moving the industry forward.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the May 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

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Avoiding Blurred Lines of Reality

School Transportation News

By: Ryan Gray

19 May 2025 at 18:34

I am both a big user of technology and have yet to scratch the surface of its power. I, like many of my Generation X and older peers, am enthralled on one hand by technology and a bit scared on the other. My counterparts and I grew up in a different era. I didn’t see my first computer up close until my senior year of high school. It wasn’t until mid-way through college I actually used one.

Today, I couldn’t live without my computers, plural. My latest technological foray is into AI, or more aptly AI-enhanced software. It’s amazing how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot help me work smarter and not harder, at least not as long. I highly recommend using the growing list of AI-enhanced programs for improved and faster organization, research, data analytics and communication purposes.

But I am cautiously optimistic, especially as society awaits true machine learning, which is coming fast. It will be amazing the efficiencies AI unlocks. It already is. But with that power comes great responsibility, the very reason many in Silicon Valley warn of its misuse.

More commonly than androids taking over Earth (at least so far), there’s a tendency to over-rely on AI, or any technology for that matter. It’s hard not to be awe-struck. We already see some incredible efficiency and safety enhancements from AI at the school bus Danger Zone, which we read about in this month’s magazine, combined with the more mundane, yet highly effective and common-sense advances like extended stop arms, crossing gates, and more brightly illuminated school buses and signage. But AI is learning, as we also learn this month about video, and it requires humans to ensure accuracy.

Let’s also consider parent-facing apps. While not AI yet, student transporters push notifications on the real-time location of school buses and their expected arrival times. One of the benefits student transporters have discovered with apps is the reduction in the number of phone calls they must answer from angry parents asking, “Where’s my kid’s school bus?” But these apps are not always 100 percent correct.

True, we all must learn to use AI to remain relevant in the professional world. Much to my chagrin, a recent Pew Research survey found that journalists along with cashiers and factory professions are the professions most likely to vanish in the next 20 years because of AI. Teachers, and student transporters who are every bit educators, are thought to be more protected in the job market.

But in embracing these solutions, I challenge that we all must resist the temptation to allow technology to completely do our jobs for us. We don’t want school buses driving themselves, and we also don’t want to lose open communication with our co-workers or the students and parents the industry serves.

I was reminded recently about the importance of communication while reading a story about parents in Canada, who were up in arms when a school bus driver drove off with their children rather than letting them off at their stop. Regardless of the bus driver’s reasoning, what struck me was the inability or rather refusal of the school district to talk to the parents, acknowledge their anger and share why the incident occurred in the first place.

You can have all the technology imaginable, but without communication the social contract between educators and parents becomes irreparably broken. Personally, I can’t wait to bypass the AI agent and get to a live person when calling customer service. There is a certain security in talking to a real person on the other end of the line. But even those lines are now blurred, as it took me several minutes on a recent call to realize the “person” I was having a conversation with wasn’t real but AI.

It’s mind blowing the breakneck speed of technology adoption in society and student transportation. Student transporters need to harness the power of AI and technology to do their jobs better, more efficiently and safer. But they also cannot lose sight of the human aspect because that is what the industry is built upon: Transporting safely and efficiently little human beings from home to school and home again. Those little humans have bigger human parents who love them dearly and want what’s best for them. And that necessitates real dialogue, no matter how painful that conversations can be, from the adults charged with their children’s well-being every school day.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the May 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

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Building an Elite School Transportation Team

School Transportation News

By: Tony Corpin

5 May 2025 at 20:17

Building a top-performing team in school transportation requires a strategic mix of
leadership, collaboration and strong organizational culture. Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work. This philosophy is especially relevant in school transportation. Each member plays a critical role in ensuring the safe and efficient movement of students.

At the core of every successful school transportation team is a well-defined mission. The leader must articulate a vision that inspires and aligns every member. Without a shared purpose, efforts become fragmented. Leading by example, fostering open communication, and encouraging a culture of collaboration are crucial for success. I recommend emphasizing the importance of setting clear expectations and continuously motivating teams to excel. Leaders must not only define them vision but also embody it through their actions.

“Trust is a two-way street,” said executive coach, former STN keynote speaker, and author Stacey Hanke. Her book “Influence Elevated” explains that a leader with elevated influence is someone their team feels it can trust. The inverse also applies to leaders who aren’t trusted. Hanke’s research and surveys show trust is what employees crave.

Hiring and retaining the right talent is key for any organization. An effective transportation team starts with individuals who align with the organization’s values. Staffing shortages are a common challenge, but prioritizing teamwork and cultural fit during recruitment helps in building a resilient team.

Workforce development opportunities, such as attending STN EXPO, the Transportation Director Summit, or other professional development, enhance team cohesion and performance. Investing in training and networking shows employees their leaders are committed to team growth.

The foundation of a strong team is vitally important, especially with the evolving nature of teams in a rapidly changing world. While diversity, digitalization and agility shape modern teams, the fundamental principles of teamwork remain unchanged.

Last year at STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada, we hosted the Top Transportation Teams awards presented by Transfinder. During the general session facilitated by Transfinder CEO Antonio Civitella, the panelists agreed that winning the award validated their teams’ efforts throughout the year to adhere to district and department values, encourage each other, and provide stellar service to their communities and students.

Our very own Claudia Newton captured how the awards made each leader feel and what it meant to their teams to be recognized.

I want them to feel that pride,” said Todd Livesay, director of transportation for Franklin Township Community School Corporation in Indiana. “It’s such a huge validation.”

D’Allah Laffoon, transportation supervisor for Waterloo Central School District in New York, said the implementation of a new field trip process took a little adjusting but became a success with staff input.

School bus contractor Palmer Bus Service moved from a yearly to a monthly bonus structure to better appreciate the significant jobs school bus drivers do, shared Trace Johnson, the company’s director of school bus technologies.

Both public and private recognition helps boost morale at Franklin Township. “Your people will feel it,” Livesay said, adding that being a leaders means more than simply raising wages. It’s about making the workplace desirable and getting to know each driver.

“Some days are not going to be great, but when you have those great days, celebrate them,” noted Civitella. Recognition plays a pivotal role in maintaining morale and motivation. Acknowledging achievements, whether through formal awards like the Top Transportation Teams Awards program or simple gestures, strengthens team loyalty.

Civitella encouraged school transportation leaders to identify small but meaningful ways to improve workplace culture.

Nominate your school district or bus contractor as a Top Transportation Team by completing the forms at toptransportationteams.com no later than by May 16.

Creating a top-tier school transportation team is an ongoing process that requires intentional leadership, trust and a commitment to excellence. By fostering a culture of collaboration, investing in team development, and recognizing contributions, transportation leaders can build an environment where employees feel valued, motivated and empowered to perform at their best.

The key to student transportation success is not just managing logistics. It’s in building a team that works toward a common goal. Just like Coach Lombardi said.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the April 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

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Moving Target?

School Transportation News

By: Ryan Gray

21 April 2025 at 19:47

The electric school bus landscape is fraught with unknowns. Not long ago, that meant range anxiety, infrastructure challenges, supply chain disruption, lengthy delays in receiving orders from the manufacturers, and not knowing when the purchase price would come down.

At least student transporters knew Uncle Sam could foot some or most of the bill for the next couple of years. Last April, the conversation in this magazine on electric school buses, or ESBs, centered on cold-weather operations. The chill in today’s air, at this writing, has been the freeze of future U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean School Bus Program funding.

While the industry received good news in late February that the Clean School Bus Program portal was reopened for round one and two rebates and grants, 2023 rebate funds were not available for withdrawal at at press time.

The yellow school bus and reducing harmful diesel emissions from them should be an easy sell. The program also has backing on both sides of the congressional aisle. One of the most recent calls to release the funding came via a Feb. 27 letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. The letter, signed by 18 Democratic senators and led by Sen. Edward Markey of Pennsylvania, notes the Clean School Bus Program supporting 8,500 clean school bus projects in more than 1,200 school districts through fiscal year 2024. The letter also asked when the rest of funds would be released.

Zeldin had not responded at this writing.

There was no word when the Clean School Bus Program would resume, not to mention when awards from the most recent rebate program would be announced. The EPA website still says 2024 rebate selection notifications are scheduled for next month. We will wait and see.

Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that called for $5 billion over five years. There is $2.2 billion remaining to be spent. It would seem unlikely for Congress to end the program prematurely. But budget trimming has become quite the fashion in Washington, D.C.

As of early March, the World Resource Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative reports there were 5,123 ESBs delivered or in operation nationwide but another 8,757 committed or awarded. It’s important to note that nearly 96 percent of Clean School Bus Program funds have gone toward purchasing electric school buses, the remainder propane buses or a negligible amount of CNG.

Meanwhile, last month Zeldin announced he was halting multiple EPA regulations for further review, especially those deemed by the Trump administration to be an “electric mandate.” There is no such mandate at the federal level, per se. But one could argue that EPA’s Phase III GHG emissions regulation, among three dozen regulations under review by Zeldin’s office, essentially forces truck and bus operators to switch to zero-emissions vehicles for a lack of readily available alternatives, at least in the quantities that states and school districts need.

The electric school bus movement is too large to fail, with OEMs investing millions of dollars on R&D and school districts investing millions more of taxpayer money on vehicle purchasing and related infrastructure. Minus the Clean School Bus Program, the impetus
to continue electric programs could fall squarely on the shoulders of states based on school district demand.

The Californias and New Yorks of the world have already made up their minds that electric school buses are the path forward, and they have the deep pockets and political will to continue subsidizing programs. For most other states, especially if EPA rolls back Phase III, diesel will remain entrenched as the only choice for many.

Adding to the options available in 2027, Cummins’ gasoline engine is slated for full production that year. Last month, the company announced its new diesel engine that meets Phase III will also launch in 2027. We must wait and see if or when more propane options
become available to the marketplace.

Could this all lead to more renewable diesel? So far, RD has only made inroads to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard states of California, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico, which subsidize the premium price and drive supply to market. That path has always made a lot of sense to me, as the drop-in fuel reduces GHG, NOx and PM compared to regular diesel and meets engine warranty requirements.

Student transporters have challenging school bus purchasing and energy adoption decisions to make over the next four years. That might not seem like a long time until you realize that’s one-third of an average school bus lifecycle.

Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the April 2025 issue of School Transportation News.

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