Research | March 13, 2025
Needs Assessment for Equitable School Bus Electrification in U.S. School Districts
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The Electric School Bus (ESB) Initiative research team surveyed and spoke to school district staff to understand barriers and enablers for electric school bus adoption and how challenges may vary depending on a district’s geography, locale, racial diversity, income level, and exposure to air pollutants.
This paper provides insights about the main barriers faced by school districts, what motivates school districts to transition to electric school buses, what types of technical assistance might help school districts move forward, and how school districts are considering equity in their process.
Executive Summary:
- School districts have an unprecedented opportunity to invest in clean rides for students by transitioning to electric school buses (ESBs); however, this transition will not look the same for every district.
- The research team investigated motivators for and barriers to ESB adoption for priority districts and non-priority districts—defined on the basis of districts’ racial diversity, percentage of low-income students, Tribal status, and exposure to pollutants—in various geographies and locations (Worker and Coursar 2023).
- District geography (i.e., census region) and locale (e.g., urban or rural) appeared to have a greater impact on districts’ needs than their priority status, so regional- or locale-based working groups may provide more effective technical assistance.
- Respondents to our survey saw better health for children and bus drivers, reduced operating expenses, and cleaner air as the main benefits of ESBs.
- Districts with ESBs were motivated by the availability of funding, air quality benefits, climate benefits, exposure to districts with ESBs, and interest in testing a new technology.
- Districts were concerned about cost, infrastructure, technological readiness, maintenance, and route length.
- Most districts did not consider equity during the electrification process. The ones that did focused on deploying buses in underserved areas and prioritizing students with disabilities.
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