by Dr. Rick Timbs
To Determine Budget Impact
Budget implications can include:
- Determine the difference is the price of a Zero-Emission bus and the buses you currently purchase
- Calculate your bus replacement schedule with inflation or cost increases in mind as best you are aware of them
- If you pay cash for your buses now, determine how the cost of a Zero-Emission bus effect your budget
- If you buy more than one bus per year now, and need to continue with that trend, determine how these continued purchases, if they will now be for Zero-Emission buses, affect your annual budget and long-term budget plans and goals
- If you purchase buses now using Bond Anticipation Notes (BANs) renewable over 5 years, compare the cost of interest and issuance costs from your current bus replacement schedule to the purchase of Zero-Emission buses.
- If you purchase buses now using Serial Bonds (SBs) compare the cost of interest and issuance costs from your current bus replacement schedule to the purchase of Zero-Emission buses.
- For school districts that partially or completely contract for busing, determine what can the school district expect for pricing over the initial five-year ramp up period and the seven-year compliance timeline?
- Determine
We need a Q & A With Answers
A sample of questions in need of answers can include:
- Will building aid be available to turn the current Transportation Facility into a Zero-Emission bus facility?
- With approximately 50,000 buses to replace beginning in at least five years, in about a seven-year period, what is the anticipated rate within which vendors can produce and deliver Zero-Emission buses?
- Will there be any state aid or grants available for the training of staff for the repair and maintenance of the Zero-Emission buses?
- Are there any special safety considerations needed for Zero-Emission buses ( storage, fire safety (including interface with local fire departments)
- Will there be changes to the fire code and Fire and safety reports to the state Education Department because of the acquisition of Zero-Emission buses?
- What grants will be available to school districts, what is the value and how long will they last?
- Is there assurance by energy companies across the sate the “the Grid” with be able to charge all the Zero-Emission buses on demand?
- Will there be any acceptance of late-filed transportation contracts and waiver of penalties due to administrative oversight?
- Will there be funding for the School Bus Driver Instructor’s program for the State Education Department?
- Will there be a temporary suspension of the retiree earnings cap to help address school staff shortages to include school bus drivers?
- Is there sufficient state funding for infrastructure and bus purchase considering projected state budget deficits?
- Is school bus funding separated from public transit funding in the upcoming Environmental Bond Act?
- Is there any assurance that aid and grants provide to transition to Zero-Emission buses will not jeopardize Foundation Aid or other Expense driven aids in the future?
- Is deference granted to smaller or less wealthy school districts or school districts in general compete with large vendors for these vehicles and the ability to create infrastructure to support them?
- What will be the amount of state investment is needed in the statewide “grid” infrastructure and how long will it take? Will statewide infrastructure upgrades occur simultaneously as the transition to Zero-Emission buses ass required to occur in 2035?
- Notwithstanding the investment needed in statewide “grid” infrastructure, the transition to Zero-Emission buses is purported to include state support in the form of grants, Building Aid and Transportation Aid. Has there been a study on the actual state contribution to the initiative and does the state have sufficient resources to produce that support beginning now through at least 2035 and beyond as financing for these buses could continue for over a decade?
- Will there be the formation of a statewide task force to include New York’s school transportation industry stakeholders to guide transition to electrification?
- Will there be support of the school bus dealership model to provide service and technical support to bus operators as innovative technology transitions into bus fleets?
- Will the state allow for diversified near-zero emissions fleet where a Zero-Emission electric bus is not practical due to safety, environmental and economic factors?
- What will be the conditions by which a waiver for school districts to delay transition to electric buses granted?
Capital Construction Matters
Creating a Zero-Emission Transportation Facility:
- Will Zero-Emission buses fit in the bus repair and maintenance bays?
- Will the current lift capacity in your bus repair and maintenance bays lift a Zero-Emission bus?
- What changes are required to transform the current at the transportation facility for a Zero-Emission bus fleet?
- Depending on the characteristics of each school district’s transportation program, what will it cost in total project size and related financing to turn the current Transportation Facility into a Zero-Emission bus facility?
- How long with it take to turn the current Transportation Facility into a Zero-Emission bus facility?
- What are the anticipated issues that can arise as you plan, seek voter approval and to turn the current Transportation Facility into a Zero-Emission bus facility? (Cost inflation, escalations, contingencies, and availability of items in the capital project)
- Are charging stations uniform between different bus manufacturers?
- If vendors are not able to provide Zero-Emission buses as needed by school districts, is there a downside to having multiple buses from different manufacturers?
Practical Matters
Consider the following practical matters about Zero-Emission buses as the school district plans replacement schedules to begin in 2027 and end with a full Zero-Emission fleet in 2035:
- Length of routes in topography, time, and miles
- Road conditions and terrain to include traffic, road conditions and special conditions such as low weight threshold culvert covers bridges and roads
- The time it takes to recharge the batteries for the next day or a return trip to the school district
- What will be the process for charging “out of district buses” and what invoicing structure provides the invoice to recoup the cost of charging?
- Are there additional safety or security issues with the transition to Zero-Emission buses and related infrastructure?
I am sure there are more. We will keep investigating!
