Electric School Buses Can Add Green Jobs in Communities Across the U.S. 

This article originally appeared in ACT News.

Key takeaways

• The low-carbon transition can create hundreds of millions of jobs in energy, construction, manufacturing and agriculture in the next decade.
• In the U.S., more electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads can mean more jobs. Increased investment in transportation electrification creates opportunities in areas such as manufacturing, supply chain, maintenance and technician support, research and development, and more.
• It’s time to think of the electric school bus transition not just as a way to deliver cleaner rides for kids and the environment, but as a key way to build the American economy with well-paying EV jobs.

A low-carbon future isn’t just good for the environment: Climate action can create jobs and increase job security for millions around the world.

WRI research shows that in the next decade, the low-carbon transition could create nearly 375 million additional jobs globally across four key sectors: energy, construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

In the U.S., more electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads can mean more jobs. Increased investment in transportation electrification creates opportunities in areas such as manufacturing, production along the supply chain, maintenance and technician support, research and development, and more.

Between 2000 and 2024, private-sector investment in U.S. electric vehicle and battery manufacturing was $208 billion, and more than half of those investments came after the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in 2022. Since 2021, nearly 150,000 new jobs were added to the sector, and the U.S. EV job market grew by 10% between 2022 and 2023.

The beginning of the second Trump presidency brought significant cancellations in investment due to the administration’s policies and cuts to tax credits. While the 2025 total of $278 billion in clean energy and transportation investment marked the highest on record, there were declines in the final quarter of the year and in some segments.

Continuing to prioritize investments in a low-carbon economy – despite headwinds – can also bring growth where it’s most needed; 62% of EV investments since 2021 have been in “economically distressed areas.” 

Jobs growth and investment in electric transportation have encompassed all sizes and types of vehicles, including the ubiquitous yellow school bus. In 2026, more than 800 U.S. school districts have come to recognize that swapping out diesel-burning school buses with battery electric models brings a host of health and financial benefits for the community and delivers cleaner, emissions-free rides for kids.

This means jobs in the electric school bus sector. There are at least 18 manufacturing facilities involved in the production of electric school buses, which includes original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), bus body builders, electric cutaway chassis manufacturers, repower companies, and electric powertrain suppliers of parts like batteries, motors, inverters, and e-axles.

These facilities are located in 13 different states, including Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, New York, California and Oklahoma.

In Fort Valley, Ga., the home of longtime school bus manufacturer Blue Bird, an $80 million grant from the Inflation Reduction Act is turning a closed diesel motorhome plant into an electric vehicle manufacturing facility, which will help to maintain about 2,000 jobs and add 428 new manufacturing jobs starting in 2028. The plant is located in Peach County, which has less than 30,000 residents total, and Blue Bird is the county’s largest employer.

Blue Bird’s current manufacturing facilities assemble about 40 buses a day – a quarter are electric school buses – and employee pay jumped as much as 40 percent last year after workers became part of United Steelworkers, the largest industrial union in North America.

As manufacturers scale to meet the demand, there is a ripple effect through third-party supplier businesses like fabricators, wiring assemblers, bus seat producers and more. And as the market for battery recycling develops, additional American jobs will be created in this space.

The job opportunities reach beyond just manufacturing. The transition to electric school buses represents an opportunity to train maintenance technicians for work on electric vehicles of all types and charging infrastructure. Electric vehicles contain fewer parts and require less powertrain maintenance than fossil fuel-burning vehicles, but require new skills and knowledge to maintain more computerized systems and new charging equipment. To ensure job security for auto workers, there must be intentional upskilling and training designed to offer them well-paying job opportunities.

Starting in high school or earlier, electric school buses can offer early exposure to EV technology and training. At Cherokee Central High School in North Carolina, with 21 electric school buses serving the community, a summer program helps students learn about basic EV safety, vehicle maintenance and personal protective equipment. They get hands-on experience converting golf carts to solar- and battery-powered EVs. The program provides a way for students to train on lower-voltage vehicles with systems that are similar to larger electric vehicles and can require many of the same fundamental electric skills.

And in New York, Bronx Community College’s Automotive Technology program prepares more than 300 students per year for factory or dealership work involving hybrid and electric vehicles. Last October, the college – which primarily serves low-income students – announced a partnership with Waymo (a fully electric fleet) to train students on autonomous vehicle training.

From facility expansion of legacy school bus manufacturers like Blue Bird to technician training opportunities from high school onwards, electric school buses are already leading to more job opportunities in communities across the U.S.

As the transition to electric school buses accelerates, it’s important to remember that the benefits to communities don’t end at clean rides. Workers can benefit, too, with electric school bus production already creating jobs across the country and supporting many more jobs in related industries. It’s time to think of the electric school bus transition not just as a way to deliver cleaner rides for kids and the environment, but as a key way to build the American economy with well-paying EV jobs. As electric vehicle technology proliferates, it’s the people building, maintaining and driving these vehicles that make this transition possible.