Overview
At the beginning of the project, school districts should develop a roadmap for school bus fleet electrification — a high-level document that sets out a vision for your electric school bus project, success factors, potential risks, key stakeholders, equity considerations and strategies, then identifies the key steps and roles that are needed to get electric school buses on the road in your community.
Roadmaps should include time-bound vision statements that include context, goals, criteria and conditions.
A roadmap can be drafted by a core project team and refined through collaboration with other stakeholders, particularly community members, or the district can hold a larger workshop or event to include stakeholders and kick off the development of a roadmap together.
Regardless of when it occurs, community engagement is essential for the development of an effective and equitable roadmap.
The roadmap, vision statement and equity strategies should all be flexible documents that are adjusted as the project moves forward and receives feedback.
Things to do:
- Develop a fleet inventory
- Review other school district roadmaps and fleet transition plans
- Hold a road mapping work session or workshop, either internally or with key stakeholders such as utilities and community groups
- Identify key milestones, decision points, timelines and roles
- Identify strategies to center and advance equity in your roadmap
- Connect with peer school districts for insights
- Share your draft roadmap with stakeholders to solicit input for modifications
Questions to consider:
- How many buses are you looking to add to your fleet and when?
- What is your current bus replacement schedule and how do you currently fund replacements?
- What is the one-line vision statement for your electric school bus project?
- How will you measure success? What baselines will you establish to track progress against? Who is the school district accountable to?
- How can your roadmap center equity (for example, through stakeholder engagement, facility assessment, route planning, workforce development, air quality monitoring, etc.)?
- What are the potential risks for the project?
- What are the topline milestones and associated due dates and roles?
- What stakeholders should be engaged and involved in roadmap development and how?
Potential stakeholders:
- District transportation director
- District business and procurement staff
- District fleet manager
- District energy manager
- District facilities manager
- District superintendent
- School bus contractor (if applicable)
- Electric utility representative
- Community-based organizations, including environmental organizations, environmental justice organizations and organizations that serve the populations around bus depot locations
- Community or technical partners with expertise in transportation electrification
- Parent and teacher organizations
Resources:
- School Bus Electrification Template Roadmap – WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: An editable template with sample timelines, project management tools and considerations.
- School District Learnings – 12 Tips on Electric School Bus Adoption – WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: Tips from districts who have electrified.
- The Transition to Electric School Buses Must Center Equity. Here’s Why. – WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: Key considerations and opportunities to center equity in school bus fleet electrification.
- Utility Activities to Support Equitable School Bus Electrification – WRI's Electric School Bus Initiative: This downloadable guide contains resources for those developing policies and programs to support equitable vehicle electrification.
- Driving the Future: How to Electrify our School Buses and Center Kids, Communities, and Workers in the Transition – Jobs to Move America: This report details pressing equity questions for advocates, school district officials and policymakers who want to understand the transition to electric school buses fully.
- School Bus Electrification Guidebook – Oregon Department of Energy: A complete overview of the fleet electrification process for a school district.