We started. We were lucky enough to get funded by our school district for three buses, we bought inexpensive home chargers and hung them on the wall, and started electric busing.

We built a team. People want to help busing electrify. So we assembled a team including a lot of folks who will work for free either because they are advocates for clean transportation or because they are vendors and hope to sell us stuff later.

We started to plan for the medium term and the long term.

People want to help. This is not something you have to do alone. There are environmentalists, government officials and non-profits who will help for free. There are vendors who of course want to make a sale, but they have good products and can help you make the right decision for your fleet. And there are others, like NYCSBUS, who might be just a little bit ahead of you who are willing to help.

It’s not easy. Our experience has been rocky. The first-generation buses we bought were a bit buggy. We had to work on integrations with chargers and GPS. We’re not sure how we will fit the chargers in our cramped NYC bus depots. This is some real work.

We can do this. It takes some time to learn, and there are moments when we’ve had to make decisions with less than perfect information. But this is doable, it’s not like waking up at 4am, maintaining an aging bus fleet, getting thousands of kids to school on time, every day. Now that’s hard!

It’s worth it. The buses are terrific. They are clean and quiet. Kids, parents and drivers love them. And our obligation is not just to help kids get an education, it’s to leave them a healthy planet.

Block out two 45 minute periods to read WRI’s fabulous electric school bus website and to sign up for mailing lists (these are in the “resources / mailing list” section of this web page).

Apply for grants! We’ve had a lot of grant success, so have others. It’s some work, but funders are looking to support you, and they will reward those who act early.

There are a lot of things you may NOT have to worry about just yet:

• No one knows which buses are best. That’s OK. Some people say choose based on relationships with local dealers. WRI can help, search “market study” on their site.

• At NYCSBUS we find the charging infrastructure hardest because we must decide how much power, where wires go and then imbed it in pavement. Start small, you don’t have to worry about all of these issues at first.

• There are a lot of concerns about range. Our Type A buses travel a full day using heat or AC. Range will become easier when there are more recharging stations mid-trip and as technology advances. With the first buses, put them on the shortest routes and learn.

If you think you might apply for federal grants, get a sam.gov account. It’s free but takes time for approval, so start now.

If you live outside New York WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative and Calstart’s Electric School Bus Network can help you find resources in your state.

If you are lucky enough to be in the Empire State, some great resources include:

• NYSERDA, the state energy research and development agency

• Our state’s utilities

• The NYC Clean School Bus Coalition and NYS Clean School Bus Coalition

• The NY League of Conservation Voters

• Clean Cities Coalitions including western NY, greater Rochester, central NY, the capital region, NYC and lower Hudson Valley, and Long Island.

You will need to think about training and equipment. We think there are three groups.

Mechanics: Since new buses are warranted what they need to know is how to safely work around the electric propulsion system, not on it. Bus manufacturers provide training, ASE has standards for mechanics and more and more colleges and training schools are providing training.

Drivers: Electric buses drive like non-electric ones; drivers do not need a lot of new training. We try to tell them eight things: 1) how to start the buses and read the instrument panel, 2) how to use power modes and understand how the vehicles accelerate, 3) how to take advantage of regenerative braking, 4) how to watch the range, 5) to remember they are quiet and other users of the road might not notice them, 6) how to use chargers and 7) in an emergency they need to shut them down and tell first responders.

Dispatch and Other Personnel: Everyone needs to know how to identify an electric bus, how to monitor the vehicles remotely, what to do about towing, how to plan for range and what to do in emergencies.

Bus and charging vendors provide in-person and remote training and have videos. And as a New York company we hate to admit this but…. New Jersey and its neighbors have some great training videos as part of the Mid-Atlantic Electric School Bus Experience Project (MEEP).

Changing everything is expensive. Right now there is a lot of grant support but that might not last. The consensus is that as demand increases prices will fall, mid-trip changing opportunities will be common, fleet parking facilities will be configured for electric. But until then the transition is expensive.

The World Resources Institute has a clearinghouse of electric bus funding here.

EPA grant programs are available, information is here. Remember, you’ll need a sam.gov ID to apply.

Federal tax credits from the US Treasury are available for private companies and as cash grants to governments and school districts for electric bus, and other energy conservation measures.

States also have grant programs. We are in NY where there are two. Those run by NYSERDA and from utilities to pay for upgrades to electric service. WRI can help you find your state programs, take a look at the link to their clearinghouse above.

You can also buy electric busing as a service; there are companies who will just do the electric for you. Those companies make a profit, that’s normal, but in return they take a lot of headaches away. WRI can give you information about them.

While there are upfront costs, these buses are more advanced and data is showing that electric buses can be less costly to fuel and maintain.

And most important, the buses are less costly for kids who need clean air and a healthy home. We are paying now for a half century of ignoring pollution.

We love the World Resources Institute (WRI) and we love their Electric School Bus Initiative webpage. It’s a comprehensive one-stop-shop. Use those web resources to learn. Sign up for their mailing list and schedule time to talk to them and get help.

CALSTART’s Electric School Bus Network joins operators and experts learn about market trends, hear updates on funding, and share experience between peers. Join the Network.

The Environmental Protection Agency is taking the lead nationally on funding and support. Look at their resources on line, you can contact their clean school bus program.

Here in NY the lead agency is NYSERDA. The NYSERDA electric bus website has loads of information, reach their electric school bus team at schoolbus@nyserda.ny.gov.

Other states have their own programs, WRI can help you find them. (But no one can help you find good bagels anywhere except New York. Sorry. Move here!)

Don’t forget school bus media. School Bus Fleet and School Transportation News both cover electric busing deeply.